Facebook
by S.E. Ripley
Summary: The citizens of Oakdale all have Facebooks. Seriously. Go look them up. These chapters are what you don't see through their comments and updates. Noah/Ashton, Katie/Chris, Luke/Reid, Henry/Barbara, Casey/Allison. Noah/Ashton-centric.
1. Silent Movie

Not everything will be in these stories! The stories are based around the postings of the various characters on their Facebook pages. Keep track of their posts on the ATWT Facebook Fanfiction Fanpage! .com/pages/ATWT-Facebook-Fanfiction/138313522864360

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**Chapter 1; Silent Movie.**

Ashton sat in the windowsill of his apartment, one leg bent beneath him and tapping his foot anxiously as he gazed out the window. No, not gazed. Stared. He groaned and shook his head at this sad realization, knowing too well that he was acting like some love struck school girl, but really, who could blame him? He kept checking and rechecking his phone just incase Noah texted or called him. It was only 1:03, Noah said he'd be there at 1:00. Really, why was he so nervous?

Oh, wait. Because he was helplessly falling head over heels for the guy.

Another groan.

Biting his lip, Ashton peeled himself away from the window and headed toward the kitchen for no reason other than to move around. Just then a car beeped out front and a smile flooded his face. He practically ran to the second story window, glancing down to see Noah's familiar car parked out front, waiting for him.

"You know, I get that you're excited to be able to drive again, but I'm sick of being shotty all the time," said Ashton as he got into the car.

"Well you better get use to it," Noah grinned. "I could barely handle your driving when I was blind, I don't think I'm brave enough to get in the car when I can see the obstacles coming at us."

"Ha ha ha," said Ashton flatly. "My driving is not bad and you know it."

Noah said nothing, just shaking his head with a wide smile as he pulled out of the lot.

It took them only a few minutes to get to the main campus and even less time to find the auditorium where they were showing the movie. Ashton bought them popcorn ["I'm going to eat most of it anyway so I might as well pay"] and they found a seat about halfway up and to the left.

"I know it's cliché but I'm more of a Charlie Chaplin fan," Ashton whispered as Edward Sedgwick's 'The Cameraman' began to play on the screen.

"Not cliché at all, there's a reason he's considered the best," Noah whispered back, leaning his face close but his eyes were still on the screen. Ashton's eyes, however, wandered to Noah, completely aware how close they were. He did his best not to burn red and instead stuffed his mouth with a hand full of popcorn, shifting uneasily in his seat. When Noah leaned away, Ashton sighed, though he wasn't sure if it was out of relief or something else entirely.

'The Cameraman' was one of Noah's favorite silent comedies and he wasn't afraid to laugh whenever the urge took hold. Ashton wasn't nearly as vocal but he found himself smiling throughout the majority of the film, of course at the humor of the scene, though mostly at Noah's own delight or side comments. Ashton had never been the film buff that Noah was and while he didn't necessarily appreciate all the artistic details of the film to quite the same extent as Noah, he most certainly could appreciate the way Noah's face lit up and the way his laughter was quiet enough not to disturb anyone else but still rang loudly in his ears.

The movie was coming to an end, much too soon in both men's opinions. Ashton leaned easily into the corner of his seat closest to Noah, though doing his best not to impose on Noah's personal space. Noah leaned close to reach for the popcorn resting in Ashton's lap. Their shoulders bumped though Noah didn't seem to really notice. Ashton did. He looked up, Noah's face very close. He managed to catch Noah's eye, who looked up and stared back for a moment, hand pausing in the popcorn bag. His lips tugged uneasily at the corners and Ashton found himself unable to keep the red from his cheeks. He gulped, so did Noah, and they both leaned away awkwardly, suddenly tense in their seats.

A few minutes later the movie ended and the lights faded on. Ashton was the first to stand, leading them down the steps and into the main lobby. There were others standing around, waiting for the next film and restocking on junk food.

"Did you want to stay for the second movie?" Noah asked. Ashton shrugged, hands finding his pockets.

"I want to, but I probably shouldn't."

"Oh, do you have plans tonight?"

Ashton nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to a movie with some friends."

"Casey and Luke, right?" Noah asked, his voice pathetic and his shoulders falling. His lips fell into a frown as well.

"Yeah, Casey and Luke."

A tense silence fell around them. As more people moved through the small lobby they moved toward the windows, still standing in silence.

"I'm sorry if it's weird for you, that I hang out with…" Ashton began.

"No, Ashton, it's fine, really. I mean, Casey's still my friend, too, and yeah, Luke, but you guys have been friends for a while. It's not my place to take that away, I have no right."

Ashton smiled faintly. "Thanks, Noah," he said, reaching out and putting a hand easily on Noah's arm. Noah smiled. "And by the way, you don't give yourself nearly enough credit," he laughed. "Yeah, I'm friends with them, but it's not the same as it is with you. I've known Casey for longer than I can remember, but I know that's not the problem here, it's Luke, but you introduced me to Luke in the first place. Yeah, we're good friends now but that's only because of you, because I wanted to get along with him for your sake. Trust me when I say you're opinion means a lot more to me than theirs ever will." His hand tightened a bit on Noah's upper arm and he instinctively stepped closer.

He could feel Noah tense up a bit, which snapped Ashton back into reality. He stepped back, quickly retracting his arm and shuffling awkwardly. Noah coughed nervously and Ashton stared at the floor.

"We should get going," Noah finally offered. Ashton nodded, forced a smile, and they headed to the car.

At first Ashton was worried that the short ride would be silent, but luckily he didn't seem to have startled Noah really as much as he originally thought.

"So what movie are you guys seeing?" he asked nonchalantly. Ashton tried not to smile too much.

"Honestly? No idea," he laughed. "Knowing them, though, I highly doubt it will be quite up to par with Edward Sedgwick."

Noah laughed. "Very true. I'm sure it will be fun, though."

"Yeah, I bet. Half the fun is the company, and we both know how Casey can be."

"Ha, definitely," Noah said enthusiastically. "Never a dull moment with Casey Hughes."

Ashton smiled, hands fiddling in his lap awkwardly as they parked outside his apartment building.

"We should do this again," he said, forcing himself to look up and meet Noah's curious eyes. "For real next time. You know, a Casey Hughes top pick where all the talent went into unnecessary effects instead of decent acting or directing," he continued with a soft laugh. "Burnt popcorn, overpriced skittles, chairs with questionable stains." Again he laughed nervously. Noah was smiling.

"Yeah, that could be fun. I don't think I've actually gone to see a real movie in, well, quite a while," he laughed. "Maybe we could invite Casey, or Richard, some of the guys from our class last fall."

Ashton shifted, smiling nervously. Noah raised a brow. "That sounds fun and all, but I was thinking maybe it could be just the two of us, like today."

For a moment Noah was still smiling, and then all at once Ashton could see the realization sink in. He shook his head, scratching his hair awkwardly.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Noah said slowly, his voice so soft Ashton could barely make out all the words. He shifted in his seat, hand inching toward the door knob. He hesitated, unsure how to answer. In a way, yes, he was. In another way, no he wasn't.

"Don't worry about it, Noah, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he said evenly, opening the door and managing to get one leg out the door.

"Ashton, wait," Noah began, reaching for Ashton's arm. He could feel Ashton react beneath him. "I'm sorry, it's just…" he trailed off, sighing.

"I get it, Noah. Really, I do."

He forced a smile before finally shrugged away from Noah's hold. Noah waited until Ashton was inside, even waiting until he could see a shadow moving in Ashton's window. He sighed angrily, gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary as he headed out of the complex.

Upstairs, Ashton fell into his favorite chair, reacting with the same angry sigh and staring blankly around the room. He ran a hand over his face and through his hair, quickly texting Luke to make sure they were still on for the movies tonight. Lord knew he needed an escape, and some crappy blockbuster with Luke and Casey would certainly give him that.


	2. Boys' Night

**Chapter 2; Boys' Night.**

"No, I admit, it wasn't as horrible as it could have been," Ashton laughed as he, Luke and Casey walked out of the theater into the main square of Old Town.

"That movie was _awesome,_" Casey insisted.

"For something based on a kids' TV show, I guess it was alright."

Casey rolled his eyes with a very loud sigh. "You're impossible, Daniels."

"No, just picky," he grinned.

Luke laughed on Ashton's other side.

"And that is why I could never be a film student. You can't appreciate a movie for it's entertainment value, you have to critique everything," said Luke.

"Oh really, that's why?" said Ashton, raising a brow. Luke glared teasingly.

"What did I say about being cute?"

Ashton just laughed.

"I feel like I'm missing something," frowned Casey. Luke grinned.

"Ashton was giving me lip on Facebook. I told him to stop trying to be cute."

"And of course I pointed out that I don't need to try, it just comes naturally."

Casey rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of Facebook, what was up with your little pity party earlier?" Luke asked as they continued walking.

"What? Oh, the bruised ego thing? Nothing. Just had an awkward run-in on campus earlier," Ashton frowned, putting his hands into his pockets.

Casey eyed him curiously. "Uh huh. C'mon, spill."

Ashton stopped, realizing that Luke and Casey had both stopped and were staring at him intently. His shoulders fell and he groaned.

"Alright, fine," he pouted, stepping toward them with tight shoulders.

"It's not that interesting of a story. I was talking to this guy," he started. Casey interrupted.

"Who?"

Ashton stared dumbfounded. "Like I'm telling your big mouth," he replied. Casey grinned. "Anyway. We were talking, and I guess I made him uncomfortable because I put my hand on his arm, but then he seemed okay. So I suggested that we go to a movie sometime, just us."

"Like a date?" asked Luke. Ashton shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know. I guess, maybe, if he wanted to take it that way, but it didn't have to be. But the thing is, he did take it that way and I obviously freaked him out."

"Maybe he's straight," suggested Casey. Luke and Ashton both stared.

"So I left," Ashton continued, ignoring Casey's comment.

"That's it?" Ashton looked up at Luke.

"Yeah, that's it."

Luke laughed. "Wow. You must really like this guy for something like that to 'bruise your ego'."

Ashton could feel his face burning. "Oh, shut up, like you're one to talk."

Luke stopped laughing, though it was obviously difficult for him to do. Casey grinned and stepped up, putting his arm around Ashton's shoulders.

"Don't let it get ya down, man. Just remember, you gay guys don't have to deal with the girls, and they're the crazy ones," he said with a goonish grin.

"Casey, you're an idiot," Luke laughed. Ashton laughed along and rolled his shoulders away from Casey.

"Speaking of girls, how are things with Allison?" asked Ashton knowingly with a smirk.

Casey glared. "That particular topic is off limits," he said quickly. Luke and Ashton laughed. "Laugh it up, laugh it up."

"Oh, I plan to," said Ashton as they approached Al's.


	3. It's A Party

**Chapter 3; It's a Party**

"Shush!"

Ashton paused outside Katie's front door, hand reaching halfway to the knob but frozen in mid air as a curious grin graced his lips. Katie's loud demand for silence echoed even through the door. Ashton heard a little bit of scuffling, shook his head, and finally reached for the handle.

Honestly, he should have known that something was up. Everyone had insisted that they were busy tonight but couldn't give him a concrete excuse as to why. Katie had mysteriously asked that he come over to "help with something" but refused to say what that 'something' was. So when Ashton opened the door and was greeted by a dark room, his mind instantly grasped what was happening.

He still jumped a little when the lights flicked on and everyone shouted "Surprise!"

Ashton laughed, looking for Katie and spying her right up front.

"What is this about?" he asked, trying to ignore the laughter and big smiles from the small group that had gathered.

"Luke!" she said excitedly, pointing toward the kitchen. Ashton's eyes followed her finger to a banner hanging over some of the cupboards.

"Congratulations Ashton!" it said in large bold font. Beneath it read, "on getting your internship!"

His eyes widened. "I got the internship?"

Katie laughed. Kim, who had been standing off to the side with her husband, came up and put a hand on his arm. "Of course you did, darling," she said pleasantly. Ashton and Katie laughed. He ran a hand through his hair, looking around at his friends.

"Wow, that's… that's awesome, thank you so much."

"Don't think me just yet, you start on Wednesday and we have plenty for you to do," said Katie, hugging him tightly.

"Have fun sorting tapes," said Luke. Ashton looked up to find Luke, along with who he knew from the pictures to be Reid, standing just beyond Katie. Reid had a plate in one hand covered with chips and cookies. The sight made Ashton grin. He pulled away and Katie stepped over toward Bob and Chris. Ashton moved to Luke and Reid.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure it'll be a blast," grinned Ashton.

"Congrats, man," Luke said with a wide smile, reaching for Ashton's hand. "And I'm sure it won't be nearly as bad as when I was an intern there. Katie said you'll be doing a lot more hands on with this internship, helping with taping and running the equipment."

"Yeah, that's what they tell me," Ashton smiled. "Though I'm sure they'll still find a way to work me like a pack mule anyway."

Luke beamed. "Oh! By the way, Ashton, I'd like you to officially meet my boyfriend, Reid."

Reid rolled his eyes and let out a soft groan at the word boyfriend. Luke grinned and nudged him. He managed to smile, offering his hand.

"Congrats," he said simply. Ashton shook his head, still grinning.

"It's nice to finally meet you, the infamous Dr. Reid Oliver."

"Oh, don't bother trying to suck up. I saw your comment earlier," Reid said with an evil smirk. Most people would be worried if Reid looked at them that way, as though he were planning revenge. Ashton simply smiled brighter.

"Oh, don't be bitter. Reidykins is a charming name," he said with a wink.

"This from a boy named Ashton. Intriguing," Reid said, sounding bored as he took a chunk out of another cookie. Ashton's eyebrows shifted and his grin widened.

"Perhaps Cookie Monster would be a better name," he suggested. "Or maybe just Cookies. Catchy, no?"

"Guys, c'mon," said Luke semi-seriously. He was smiling but it was obvious that he was slowly tensing up as he lightly took Reid's elbow.

"Or maybe 'Hoover'. You are a bit like a vacuum, I've never seen a plate disappear so fast."

"Ashton!"

"What, we're only playing," smiled Ashton, hands finding his pockets.

"Yes, playing. Can't you see how much fun I'm having?" said Reid. He looked thoroughly uncaring. Ashton laughed.

"Surely the great Dr. Oliver knows how to have a little fun."

"I suppose that depends on your definition of fun. Playing chess, watching a decent movie, eating cookies your roommate made for another one of her silly parties, that could possibly be considered fun."

"Attending a party for a guy you'd never even met and exchanging what you both know to be half-assed insults, not so much?" offered Ashton, cutting Reid off. Normally this would annoy Reid, but much to Luke's shock, he found his boyfriend smiling. Genuinely smiling.

"Sounds about right."

Ashton grinned.

"Hey, congrats, my man!" said Casey loudly, coming up behind Ashton and firmly patting him on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Case," Ashton said brightly. "I'll talk to you guys later. Nice meeting you Cookies," said Ashton with another wink before walking away with Casey. Reid glared, but there was still a hint of a smile on his lips.

"I don't like that guy," he said. Luke smirked.

"Oh really? I think you like him just fine."

"Nope. Not at all," Reid smiled, kissing Luke on the cheek before abandoning him to refill his plate.

Casey led Ashton over to Chris, Katie, Bob and Kim, who all congratulated him again and he shook the men's hands, hugging both women and thanking them sincerely for the opportunity.

"I hope you realize you've given Katie an excuse to meddle more than she already does," said Chris with a grin. Katie was standing beside him and nudged him hard in the ribs. "What? It's true!" he laughed. Katie just smiled.

"I'm not meddling," she insisted. "I'm simply… nudging."

Ashton, who normally would have some sort of witty reply, simply gave a weak smile and shook his head. Katie noticed, of course she noticed, but before she could say anything Luke was tapping him on the shoulder.

"Here," Luke said, handing Ashton a glass of what looked like champagne but Ashton already knew was probably sparkling cider. He also had one in his hand and Reid, again at his side, had one as well. Everyone else grabbed one up and raised them while Luke spoke.

"Congratulations again to a awesome film maker and an awesome friend. I know that WOAK is just one small step on your way to a great career. So enjoy yourself now! If Katie and Kim have their way, you won't have time for us after you get started." Everyone laughed appreciatively. Ashton was shaking his head with a smile. "So! To Ashton," said Luke.

Everyone raised their glasses. "To Ashton!" they said in unison before clinging their glasses together.

"Thanks, Luke," Ashton smiled. Luke nodded, clinging his glass with Ashton's.

It was a simple party, but Ashton was glad for that. He knew how Katie could be and had already informed her countless times that a surprise party hadn't been necessary, a simple phone call would have been fine. She insisted that it was no trouble, she enjoyed organizing these kinds of things. Ashton knew it was the truth, so he'd kissed her cheek and told her she was crazy before laughing and wandering to chat idly with Casey and Chris.

Shortly after eight there was a knock at the door. Ashton only vaguely registered the sound, opening a can of Coke while talking with Luke and Reid in the kitchen. They were discussing Reid's time at the Cleveland Clinic and how Ashton's dad worked there. Reid didn't know him, his father worked in pediatrics, but it was still an interesting conversation. So interesting in fact that none of them noticed at first when a certain brunette entered through the front door, hugging Katie pleasantly but overall looking rather uncomfortable. Perhaps it was good that they didn't notice him right away. They had another few moments to themselves, laughing a little at a rather pathetic joke on Luke's end. Luke rolled his eyes and turned away while the other two laughed at him. He was the first to spy Noah talking with Bob and Kim, his body tensing awkwardly and his shoulders slumping as though he were trying to hide. Reid noticed immediately, moving closer without thinking and looking up, spotting Noah quickly and frowning. Ashton was still smiling and watched them curiously, turning mid laugh to see what had them down. Then it was his turn to see Noah.

"Shit," he said suddenly under his breath, turning his back to the rest of the room and gripping the counter.

"You alright? I thought you and Noah were friends?" asked Luke. Reid cocked a brow.

"Well yes, we are, were, I don't know," he stammered, sighing again. He looked up and this time Noah caught his eye. He pursed his lips, turning for a moment to cast Luke and Reid a look before slowly moving across the room with tight shoulders.

"What was that about?" asked Reid as they watched Ashton walk away.

"No idea," frowned Luke. They watched as Ashton approached the small group. Noah hold his coat on his arms, shifting nervously as he congratulated Ashton, who mumbled a thank you while avoiding actually looking at Noah. Suddenly it hit Luke and he gasped.

"What?" demanded Reid, worried for a moment as Luke covered his mouth, staring across the room.

"It's Noah," he whispered.

"Brilliant deduction," said Reid, rolling his eyes.

"No, I mean, it's _Noah_. The guy Ashton was talking about yesterday!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Luke grabbed Reid by the elbow and steered him away and around the corner into the hall just outside Reid's room.

"Yesterday after the movie, Ashton told Casey and I about how the guy he liked had shot him down. Well, sort of. He said he asked him out and the guy froze. He wouldn't give us a name, but I mean, c'mon, Reid, look at them!" Luke pointed a bit obviously toward the two men, who were still standing uncomfortably across from each other while Kim gushed about Noah's time at WOAK and her hopes for Ashton.

Reid frowned, already bored with this game, but he watched them. He was oblivious when it came to his own interactions but he could read others fairly well when he actually gave it a serious effort. He noticed how their eyes lingered when the other wasn't looking, how they naturally leaned toward each other but would shift away the moment they noticed it themselves, how the cocky kid he'd just met suddenly reminded him of how he was whenever he was with Luke.

"Shit," breathed Reid. Luke nodded, crossing his arms and watching with worry. Reid frowned. This would be a long night.

"You really should consider applying to work at the station, Noah," Kim was saying. "We'd love to have you around and I'm sure it would be fun for you two boys to work together."

Ashton and Noah glanced at each other but the moment their eyes met it was like repelling magnets. Suddenly they were looking anywhere but at each other. Katie stood at Kim's side and crossed her arms, looking quite displeased. She opened her mouth to talk but Ashton immediately grabbed her gaze with a stern stare of his own. She got the message quickly and decided against speaking. For now.

"I need a drink," Ashton suddenly said, not bothering to properly excuse himself before moving briskly across the room to the fridge. He pulled open the door and crouched down to find a beer, but paused as he hand lingered on the bottle.

"Can I talk to you?"

Ashton jumped, hand falling away from the bottle as he spun around to see Noah standing behind him.

"Noah," he said with a shaky breath. "You scared me."

"Sorry."

Silence.

Ashton sighed and slowly stood up, pushing the door closed and turning to face Noah. He slipped his hands into his back pockets and frowned.

"Um, thanks for coming," he managed weakly.

"Of course. I'm sorry I got here late."

"It's fine, really," began Ashton.

"No, it's not. To be honest, I almost didn't come," Noah admitted.

"I wouldn't have blamed you. Honestly, I'm surprised you showed up at all."

"Why?"

Ashton sighed, turning red. "You're really going to make me say it, aren't you?" Noah didn't answer so Ashton sighed again. "Yesterday, with asking you out and the, arm thing," he went on. Noah blushed, too. "I know it made you feel awkward, and I'm sorry, that was out of line of me."

"No, it wasn't," interjected Noah sternly, stepping closer and making Ashton's breath catch. "I shouldn't have reacted like that. It wasn't fair of me."

"You're the one dealing with all this crap," said Ashton a little loudly, gesturing around the room though obviously meaning Luke and Reid, "and you're the one apologizing. Really, I don't get you sometimes, Noah."

Noah sighed and then glanced around the room. "Can we go outside and talk?" he asked. Ashton looked over his shoulder. Everyone else seemed busy with conversation. He nodded.

"Let me just tell Katie," he said. Noah nodded and began to pull on his coat. He walked behind Ashton as they moved into the main room, Ashton turning off to talk to Katie and Noah slipping through the door.

"I'll be outside," he began, putting his hand on the small of her back to get her attention. "If I don't come back in or get to say it later, this was really great of you. Thank you." He kissed her cheek and she smiled at him, turning and pulling him into a hug.

"Any time, Ash," she smiled. He laughed and rolled his eyes at his childhood nickname. "Have fun," she winked.

"Meddling!" he whispered with a smile. She laughed and shooed him out, looking far too pleased with herself when she returned to the rest of the group.


	4. It's A Date

**Chapter 4; It's a Date.**

When Ashton came outside Noah was already waiting for him, leaning on the pillar to the left of the entry way into the apartment complex. His jacket was on and he was staring out over the parking lot that was cast in red shadows. The sun was low in the sky, barely hidden by the other buildings and trees. Ashton quietly came up and stood beside him, looking out at the red horizon as well.

"I'm sorry," said Ashton quietly. Neither moved.

"For what?"

"Don't make me say it again," he sighed, shoulders falling. Noah finally turned to him.

"Ashton, I'm serious. Stop apologizing," Noah demanded. Ashton burned red, a bit taken aback by Noah's forcefulness.

"I can't help it, Noah! I feel like an idiot right now. I know what you're going through, I've tried to be a good friend-"

"And you have been a good friend!"

"Yeah, until I decided to make a move on you and fuck up whatever the hell it is we had," Ashton said angrily, stepped forward and bringing his fingers to his mouth. He paused. "I've been telling myself for god knows how long to just ignore this. You were always unavailable, one way or another. You were with Luke, or at least in love with Luke. You were in therapy, with Richard, in the hospital, something! And now, you're still hung up, still coping with what happened with you and Luke, with his new relationship with Reid, and I knew that!"

"Ashton," said Noah quietly, stepping forward. Ashton shook his head.

"I was being careful and today I slipped up."

"I'm glad you did!" Noah shouted. "I'm glad I know how you feel, that you aren't lying to me anymore! Ashton, c'mon. We've been friends for years. I hate thinking that you didn't trust me a enough to be honest, I hate that I made you feel like you couldn't tell me."

Ashton laughed mockingly. "I wasn't lying about some guilty pleasure or about how I secretly can't stand James Stewart, Noah. I was protecting myself, and you, by not telling you that I had feelings for you! For one of my closest friends, for the guy who has been depending on me for support while he goes through all this crap."

"If I'm not mad, then why are you?" Noah asked calmly. Too calmly. Ashton stopped, red in the face again. He hadn't expected that reaction.

"Because I knew better, and I let myself slip up."

"I already told you I was glad you did-"

"I know, I know, the whole honesty speech, I got it."

"I should be honest, too, Ashton." That got Ashton's attention. He turned to Noah, nerves taking hold again. "I didn't freak out because I was against the idea of going on a date with you. I freaked out because honestly, I hadn't even considered it."

Ashton's shoulders fell. "Well that makes me feel better," he muttered.

"Please, just listen," insisted Noah. "I'd been spending so much time worrying about the things I couldn't change that I didn't even entertain the possibility that I was allowed to move on, too. When you asked me out, it was like someone snapping fingers in front of my eyes. I realized that I can move on, that I have to. One way or another, I have to start letting go."

Ashton didn't realize at first that he was smiling. "I've been telling you for weeks that you need to move on," he laughed. Noah smiled sheepishly. "Have I told you that you don't give yourself enough credit?"

Noah laughed. "I think you've mentioned it."

Ashton smiled. They stood side by side, close but not too close and smiling embarrassedly at one another.

"So what does this mean? For us I mean," Ashton dared to ask. Noah shifted his weight.

"Well," he began, voice cracking a little. "I'd understand if you didn't want to anymore, but I'd like to take you up on that movie, if you're still offering."

Ashton actually bit his lip, smirking a little and forcing some of his confidence to return. "I think I'd still like that," he laughed gently.

"It's a date," said Noah. Ashton inhaled sharply.

"I like the sound of that."


	5. What I'm Here For

**Chapter Five; What I'm Here For. Staring Katie & Chris **

"You're smiling," stated Chris, stepping up next to Katie. It was true. She was grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire cat.

"Is that a problem?" she asked pleasantly.

"Not necessarily," he said carefully with a grin. "But that particular smile has mischief written all over it."

Katie laughed. "What? I'm just happy is all."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really. I'm here with my friends, celebrating Ashton's internship, why wouldn't I be happy?"

"I didn't say you didn't have a reason to be happy," chuckled Chris.

"Things are finally going right," Katie added a bit absently, looking around the room. Her eyes lingered on the door, which Ashton Daniels had just stepped through. Chris shook his head and laughed.

"Please don't tell me you're meddling again," he sighed with a smile. Katie's smile faltered for a moment.

"Of course not. All I did was invite Noah, but I did that before whatever it was happened between them. As much as I would like to, I honestly can't take credit for whatever is going on out there," said Katie, gesturing to the door.

Chris laughed. "Some things never change," he said with a sigh, stepping closer so that their arms were touching. Katie looked a little nervous but her smile was solid.

"And some things do," she sighed. Chris smiled sympathetically, putting his hands on her upper arms and rubbing them up and down soothingly. Katie let out a soft breath, her eyes closing a little and she leaned against him.

"Still worried about Henry?" he asked. She nodded against his chest. "Don't be. He just needs some time, a little space. He'll come around."

"I don't know if he will this time, Chris," Katie said seriously, looking up at him with sad eyes. "Vienna and I really hurt him, and on top of that Barbara is now missing, and I know he blames Vienna…"

"This is Barbara Ryan we're talking about. I'm sure she's fine. Like you said the other day, she isn't one to just roll over."

"He's really worried about her, though."

"He loves her, of course he's worried."

Katie sighed. "I just don't think I can handle losing him, not after everything else. Henry is the only stable thing I have in my life besides Jacob, and now I don't even have him!" she cried softly, struggling to pull her arms away and stalking across to the kitchen. Chris followed her with a frustrated sigh.

"Katie," he called quietly, catching up and carefully capturing her arm. "You're not going to lose Henry. And he's not the only stable thing in your life anymore."

As much as she wanted to act confused, Katie knew exactly what he was talking about and the way she stared up at him with conflicted eyes told him the same thing. He smiled again and reached for her. She willingly fell into his embrace, arms wrapping around his middle while he hands folded over her shoulders and held her close.

"Thank you," she whispered. Chris smiled and kissed her hair.

"It's what I'm here for."


	6. Time To Say Goodnight

"Wait, what?" exclaimed Casey a bit too loudly. The noise in the rest of the room suddenly dropped to an awkward silence and everyone's gaze was on him. He burned red, grinned and waved them off before turning conspiratorially to Luke.

"Please don't make me say it twice, Casey, it's already weird enough," Luke frowned uneasily. Reid let out a strangled laughed. The other two gave him a look.

"What?" said Reid. "You're not the only one this is weird for. And here I thought the guy was alright. So much for that," he snorted, biting into another chip. Luke sighed.

"So what does that mean for, well, all of us?" asked Casey.

Luke shrugged. "I have no idea."

Casey bit his lip. "How do you feel about this?" His words were cautious. Reid perked up a little.

"I don't know," sighed Luke dramatically. "I mean, yes, it's weird. Very, very weird," he groaned. "But maybe this is good. Maybe Noah can finally move on, and Ashton is a great guy. I want him to be happy, too, and if that means Noah…" he trailed off.

"I think I need a beer," Reid suddenly declared. Luke silently pleaded with him to stay but to no avail. Reid raised his eyebrows before sidestepping past Luke and around toward the kitchen.

"This is just too weird, man," said Casey. He ran a hand through his hair, looking around the room awkwardly.

"Don't have to tell me twice," shot Luke.

"Well, we don't have to figure it out right now. Let's just… enjoy the party."

On cue, the front door opened. Ashton and Noah walked in, all smiles.

"Oh boy," breathed Reid, stepping up behind Luke and taking a sip of his beer. Luke found himself wishing he could steal a sip of that for himself.

"I'll go see what's up," offered Casey, clapping Luke on the shoulder before walking toward the rest of the group.

"Ashton, my man," said Casey as he approached.

"Hey, Case. Sorry we bolted on you guys," Ashton apologized to everyone. Katie waved her hand.

"Nonsense! You two needed to talk, I get it," she smiled. "So did you work things out?"

Ashton smiled brighter, rolling his eyes a little. Noah shifted nervously but he was smiling just as widely.

"You could say that," Noah answered. Katie looked like she might start bouncing.

"Yeah, we worked things out, we're cool again," added Ashton quickly.

"Hey! Great to hear, guys. Always good when friends can get along," said Casey. Ashton and Noah started at him with confused expressions. "I'm just gonna go get another drink." He pointed over his shoulder and awkwardly excused himself. Noah let out an airy laugh.

"I don't think I want to know," commented Ashton.

"Probably not," said Katie. "But anyway! So… things are good now?"

She was smiling way too brightly for Ashton's comfort.

"Yes, Katie, things are fine. Please stop smiling like that, it's starting to creep me out," he said, pretending to cringe. She slapped him playfully on the arm.

"I can't help it if I just want to see my friends happy."

Ashton snorted. She hit him again.

"I know I haven't been here long, Katie, but I've got to get going," said Noah. "I open tomorrow and I don't want to be out too late."

"Oh, alright," sighed Katie. "But don't be a stranger! I'm finally seeing you around again, it's nice." Katie smiled widely, reaching up and standing on tip toes to hug Noah.

"I won't be, I promise," he laughed easily into her shoulder. He pulled away, holding her for just a moment longer and smiling.

"Katie!" came Chris' voice. She looked up and he was beckoning her over with a finger.

"Alright, well you take care! And I'll see you soon!" she said. It was more of a demand than a comment. Noah just laughed and waved as she walked away, shaking his head in amusement.

And then it was just he and Ashton alone by the door.

Well, save Luke and Casey spying on them from the kitchen and Reid trying to sneak past them to his own room.

"So I'll see you Tuesday?" Noah asked, hands finding his jacket pockets. He was smiling nervously, shifting his weight.

"I hope so," laughed Ashton, easing the tension quickly.

"How about I call you tomorrow, figure out the details?" suggested Noah. Ashton nodded.

"That sounds great," he said softly. "I'll talk to you then."

"Yep," replied Noah simply, taking a few steps back toward the door. He gripped the handle and backed through the doorway, waving a little to Ashton on his way out. Ashton raised a hand in a simple wave, watching until the door clicked shut.

Ashton let out the breath he'd been holding since Noah arrived, relieved to find he was smiling. That is, until he looked up and saw Luke and Casey staring. Of course they quickly looked away, but it didn't matter. All three were beet red and all three knew they might as well get this over with.

"Um, having a good time?" Ashton asked as he approached them. Neither answered right away.

"Er, sure?" said Casey. Reid rolled his eyes.

"Really?" he groaned. All three stared at him. He didn't seem to like the attention and shifted his weight, clearing his throat.

"So, Noah?" It was Luke who asked.

Ashton nodded. No point in denying the obvious.

"That's so crazy," said Casey with a tense laugh. Luke elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow! What?"

"I'm sorry if this is weird," sighed Ashton. "That's why I didn't want to tell you yesterday who I was talking about, I didn't want to make things awkward between us."

"Too late for that," chimed Reid, this time ignoring the looks his comment earned him.

"It's fine, Ashton," said Luke. His voice was strained. "Really. I mean, okay, yes, it's weird," he sighed.

"That's an understatement." It was Reid again.

"But I know that sometimes you can't help who you look. Obviously," said Luke in a stern voice, glancing at Reid. He just made a face.

Ashton was frowning uncertainly.

"Just think of it this way, if you two start dating, maybe we can get the group back together!" said Casey brightly, putting his arm around Ashton's shoulders.

Reid stared, dumbfounded. Luke looked anywhere but at Casey.

"Or… not?" Casey sounded defeated, dropping his arm. Ashton laughed.

"It's alright, I know it's not ideal or anything. And I definitely don't want to try and force you all to hang out or get along or something," he said. "And I don't even know if anything is going to happen with us."

No one said anything. Luke tried to smile, but it wasn't working very well.

"Hey guys, just wanted to say goodbye before I head out." They all looked up to see Chris standing over Ashton's shoulder. "Congrats again, Ash," Chris grinned, patting Ashton on the shoulder. Ashton rolled his eyes and thanked him. Chris hugged Casey, said goodbye to Luke, and completely ignored Reid's existence. As he walked away the tension returned and Ashton shifted uneasily on the balls of his feet.

"I should probably get going as well," he said. "Thanks for coming, though, guys. This was… over the top," he laughed, earning a few smiles all around, "But it was nice."

"Alright, I'll see ya around, man," said Casey, giving Ashton a manly hug.

Ashton moved to Luke and shared the same kind of hug with him before turning to Reid. He was smirking.

"Nice meeting you," he said, holding out a hand. Reid debated for a beat before accepting, trying not to smirk himself. He said nothing in reply. Ashton laughed.

He left the group, thanking Kim with a hug and shaking hands with Bob. Last was Katie, who hugged him for the fourth time that night and it was the tightest, longest hug yet, letting go only when he reminded her that oxygen was good for his body. Grudgingly she let go, congratulating him again.

"Give Jake-a-bob a kiss for me," Ashton winked, sad that he hadn't gotten to see the tyke, who was staying with Margo for the evening. Katie looked offended but it faded into a smile. She was wagging her finger at him as he backed toward the door.

"Good night, everyone," he called over the small room, holding up a hand to wave goodbye before disappearing through the door.


	7. Ring Ring Ring

It was just after 1pm and Ashton's small kitchen smelled of bacon and Miracle Whip. His dog, Toby, was curled up on the floor at his feet, tail wagging as his large brown eyes stared up, just begging for a scrap.

"No," Ashton said, pointing at Toby with a smile. Toby wagged his tail some more, inching closer to his feet. Ashton held his gaze for a few more seconds before sighing as he reached for a spare piece of bacon and tossed it across the floor. Toby jumped up and was on top of the treat in seconds. Ashton rolled his eyes, putting the top piece of bread on his BLT and carrying his plate into the living room. "You're spoiled," he said to Toby, who was gnawing on the strip of bacon in the doorway. Ashton stepped over him and grinned.

He turned on the radio and was about halfway through his sandwich when his cell phone started ringing. "Hey Soul Sister" chimed loudly from across the room and he jumped to his feet, awkwardly clambering over and grabbing up the device. He opened it without checking the ID just as he swallowed the bite he'd been chewing, wiping Miracle Whip from the corner of his mouth with his thumb.

"Hello?"

"Hey," came a friendly voice that made Ashton light up instantly.

"Noah! Hey, what's up?" he asked as he moved back across the room, swatting Toby lightly on the nose and pulling his sandwich away from the dog's reach. He sat it on top of the TV, still standing and moving around nervously.

"Not too much, just got off work."

"You opened right?"

"Yep. 6am."

"Wow," said Ashton with slight awe. "I don't think I could work at 6am, especially for seven hours, even if there was plenty of caffeine at my disposal," he laughed.

Noah's laugh echoed on the other end. "Yeah, well, I guess you get use to it," he said. "And you should, too. I'm sure Kim will have you in there pretty early some days, and you'll be the one running to get the coffee, not drinking it," he teased.

"Ha! Very true," laughed Ashton.

There was a moment of silence, then Noah cleared his throat.

"Did you see all the comments on Facebook?" he asked with a nervous laugh. Ashton returned the noise and raked a hand through his hair.

"Sadly, yes," he sighed. "I'm just trying to figure out how the hell anyone knows!"

"One word: Katie," laughed Noah. Ashton sighed pleasantly.

"Good point," he laughed. "Still, I'm sorry if it's weird, people commenting on our… whatever this is, on a public site like that. You know, where… certain people can see."

"If you're talking about Luke, you don't have to worry," said Noah confidently. Ashton was pleasantly surprised, dropping his arm at his side. "And yeah, it is kind of weird," he admitted. "But it's okay. Maybe having a little luck on our side isn't a bad thing."

Ashton was grinning ear to ear, but paused before answering.

"So are you saying we need luck?" he teased. Noah laughed appreciatively.

"Well I know I do, I haven't exactly had much of it lately," he sighed lightly. Ashton smiled sweetly, even if Noah couldn't see it.

"Trust me, I could use a little bit of that luck, too," joked Ashton. They shared a soft moment of laughter while Ashton ignored Toby, who was whining at his feet.

"Is that Toby?" Noah asked. Ashton blinked, realizing that Toby was being rather vocal.

"What? Oh, yeah," he laughed, shooing Toby away. "I gave in and let him have a piece of bacon, but of course he's a greedy little thing and wants more."

"Well that was smart of you," Noah teased.

"You know I can't deny him, he's spoiled rotten," laughed Ashton, crouching and petting Toby behind the ears.

"Toby, spoiled? Never," said Noah. Ashton could practically hear him roll his eyes through the phone.

"Hey, you can't deny those puppy dog eyes either if I remember correctly," pointed out Ashton.

"I let him sit on my lap until my leg fell asleep. That's hardly the same as feeding him your scraps and carrying him on the beach," said Noah with a chuckle.

"Physical discomfort or giving up the last few pieces of bacon…" mused Ashton out loud.

"Oh, don't try and act like carrying that thing through wet sand wasn't uncomfortable!"

Both men laughed loudly.

"Alright, alright. We'll call it a tie for now. We're both pathetic men who melt at the sight of puppy dog eyes," said Ashton, grinning.

"That's for sure," laughed Noah, and for a moment Ashton swore he heard a double meaning in his words. He blinked and shook it off.

"So about tomorrow," Ashton began, rubbing his arm nervously.

"Yeah, tomorrow," said Noah. "What movie were you thinking?"

"Not that Airbender movie," he said quickly with a laugh. "It's horrible," he added with a fake shudder.

Noah laughed. "What about Twilight?" he asked, though Ashton could instantly tell he was kidding.

"Hot vampires, shirtless hot werewolves… sure, some of them are barely legal, but hey, sounds good to me!" Ashton teased. He smiled when he heard Noah chuckling on the other end.

"Good point," agreed Noah. "How about Inception? I hear it's pretty good, and you can't go wrong with Leonardo DiCaprio," he suggested.

"Or Joseph Gordon-Levitt," added Ashton pointedly.

"Very true."

"So Inception it is?"

"Works for me."

"Awesome," replied Ashton happily. He was grinning like a loon and was actually happy Noah couldn't see him at that moment.

"So… who is picking up who?" questioned Noah with a nervous laugh.

"Well, since it was my idea, I suppose I should be the gentleman and pick you up," explained Ashton. He could hear Noah laughing again. God, he never got tired of that sound.

"Sounds good to me."

"Still staying with Maddie Coleman?" he asked.

"Yeah, for the time being," he said. Ashton nodded.

"Alright, sounds good."

"What time?" asked Noah.

"Ah, yeah, time," stammered Ashton, moving across the room to the hallway and down to his bedroom. He pushed through the door and dropped into the chair in front of his computer. It was already on so he simply clicked open his browser and started typing. "One second," he said slowly, holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder.

It was silent for about a minute while Ashton typed and waited for his lagging Internet to load.

"I hate campus Internet," he complained. Noah laughed softly in reply. "Alright, let's see… there are showings at 5:45, 7:05, and 8:15."

"Hmm," hummed Noah. "How about 7:05? It's not too early, but it leaves time afterward, too."

Ashton forced himself not to think too much on what they would need time afterward for.

"That works for me," he replied as evenly as he could. His voice still cracked a little, but thankfully Noah didn't seem to notice.

"Great."

"So I'll pick you up around… 6:30?" Ashton asked as he walked back into the living room.

"Perfect."

"Great."

Beat.

"Well I should get going," Ashton said unhappily. "I have orientation with Katie at the studio in about thirty minutes."

"Yeah, I should probably get going, too," said Noah. "I promised Maddie I'd help her finish her little redecorating project."

"Oo, sounds fun," said Ashton playfully.

"Oh yeah, loads," smiled Noah. "Good luck with your orientation! I'm sure you'll do great."

Ashton was beaming again. "Thanks, that really manes a lot. And good luck with Maddie!" he laughed. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

Noah was chuckling softly and it did crazy things to Ashton's insides. "Stop questioning it, you're supposed to be the confident one here," he teased. "And yes, definitely. I'll see you at six thirty."

Ashton was glowing. "I'll see you at six thirty," he repeated.

"Bye."

"Bye."

Ashton hung up, staring down at the phone for a moment and grinning like a school girl. Toby was at his feet again and let out a soft whine.

"What?" Ashton asked. Toby was excited by the attention and started panting and wagging his tail. Ashton laughed and crouched down again, patting him on the side. "I get to go on a date with Noah tomorrow," he said in a singsong voice as though Toby understood. The dog was in a happy mood so it was easy for Ashton to pretend the animal actually cared. He laughed at his stupidity and stood, taking the plate he'd left on the TV and moving into the kitchen. He slipped his phone into his back pocket and began to put things away, wrapping up the half-sandwich and rinsing off his plate, all while whistling a happy tune. He would have to leave soon for orientation


	8. Roommates

"So you'll tell me everything?"

Noah groaned.

"You promised!"

He groaned again.

And then a pillow collided with his head.

"Ouch!" he shouted, staring across the room in disbelief. "Really, Maddie? A pillow?" He did his best to sound annoyed but his grin gave him away.

Maddie sat with her legs crossed in one of the arm chairs, arms crossed as well and looking particularly amused.

"Everything," she repeated, still smirking mischievously. Noah glared.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Noah twitched and moved to stand but Maddie sat forward and held up a finger.

"Ah!" she called. Noah froze, awkwardly half-standing in front of his chair, hands still on the arms. "You have to promise."

"You are an evil woman," said Noah, standing up. She stood as well and he walked in her direction. "Fine, I promise. Everything. But if you don't let me leave there isn't going to be anything to tell," he pointed out, dropping a kiss on her cheek before continuing toward the door. Maddie crossed her arms and turned to watch him, grinning wickedly and laughing a little as he smoothed out his jacket before reaching for the door. He cast her a final dark glance before opening it.

"Hey," he said sheepishly with a bright smile.

"Hey yourself," said Ashton, standing almost too casually in the doorway.

"Hey Ashton," called Maddie, waving in a friendly manner. Ashton leaned forward in the entrance so that he could see her, smiling awkwardly.

"Good to see you, Maddie," he answered. Everything about the moment reeked of awkward tension.

"I'll just finish cleaning up," she said, pointing over her shoulder at an imaginary mess in the kitchen. "Have fun," she winked before disappearing. Both men laughed, though it was strained. Noah's complexion matched that of his dark red baseball tee.

"Sorry about that," he said embarrassedly.

"No need to apologize," smiled Ashton, shifting his weight. "So does everyone know about this? Our date, I mean," he stammered.

"Apparently," sighed Noah with a grin. Ashton laughed and shook his head.

"Great. No pressure anything." He paused for a moment before the air became too thick to handle. "I guess we should get going," Ashton said quickly, gesturing over his shoulder.

"Yeah, of course," replied Noah. He followed Ashton into the hall and shut the door behind him. Inside, Maddie peaked her head around the corner, stepping back into the main room and poking buttons on her cell phone.


	9. The Date  pt 1

Neither was quite sure what to expect from their evening together.

The car ride across town to the theater was remarkably filled with conversation, though it mostly consisted of Ashton rambling about orientation or Noah going on about his project for school, anything to avoid an awkward silence. There was laughter, though, and clear appreciation for what the other was talking about. Luckily they had enough in common that even when they rambled they were speaking about something the other understood. It made for a fun ride, and at the very least, they knew they weren't the only one freaking out on the inside.

Honestly, Ashton had no idea how to approach the evening. He'd dated before, had been dating regularly since high school, but this was different. Usually he went out with someone he didn't know all that well and the actual date was simply a catalyst to change that. They weren't friends, at best they were merely acquaintances. He didn't have to worry about being too forward or taking a chance, because if things didn't work out, he wasn't really losing anything. It wasn't that way with Noah, though. They'd been friends for a long time, and sure, they'd only grown closer in the past year or so, especially in the past few months, but that meant that Noah was something important, something Ashton wasn't sure he was bold enough to risk losing all together.

It was sweet in a way, how much Ashton worried, but he knew that 'sweetness' would be his downfall if he wasn't careful.

"Two for 'Inception'," has said at the window, fumbling in his back pocket for his wallet and then again for his card. Noah stood quietly behind him and he did his best not to appear nervous as he took the tickets from the woman behind the glass, tearing along the perforated edge and handing Noah his.

"Do you want anything to eat?" he asked as they walked into the main lobby. It was a Tuesday night and so the lines were pretty short. It was cool inside, quiet save the noise coming from the video games along the far wall.

"I was thinking we could share a popcorn?" suggested Noah.

"Sounds good to me," replied Ashton. They got in line, Ashton grabbing a box of Raisenets while they waited. They got a large popcorn and a large coke. Ashton reached for his wallet as the cashier rang up their purchases, but Noah gently grabbed his arm and shook his head.

"You bought the tickets, I can at least get the food," he said with a smile, pulling his card out and handing it to the man behind the counter. Ashton grinned.

A few minutes later they were seated about halfway up, dead center. Ashton had literally counted out the chairs to make sure he had the middle seat, which of course amused Noah to no end.

"You didn't count out the center seat at the movie the other day," he pointed out as they sat down and situated the drink and popcorn between them.

"That auditorium was tiny and almost completely full, we were lucky to get any seat!" he laughed. "If I have my choice though, I always go for the center. It's an OCD thing," Ashton grinned.

"Wow," laughed Noah, shaking his head.

"Don't judge," teased Ashton, pointing at Noah.

"I'm not judging," insisted Noah, though he hardly sounded sincere. They smirked at each and Ashton childishly pulled the popcorn from Noah's lap just as the lights dimmed and the opening previews began to play.

They chatted through the previews, debating if a movie looked good enough to see and only twice out of eight previews did they end up agreeing, but it was alright, especially as it led to the suggestion that they see those two movies together at some point, an idea Ashton was more than happy to entertain. The final lights turned off and the screen adjusted for the movie. They were still arguing over the last preview when Noah, trying not to laugh, told Ashton to shush.

"You know I'm right," Ashton whispered. Noah rolled his eyes and Ashton twitched his shoulders in happy victory.

The movie began and they instantly fell into a comfortable silence. Occasionally something would demand a comment, either the actual story or at times something technical about a scene, so they would lean close and whisper to the other. Ashton found himself commenting more than necessary, just for the sake of moving closer to Noah. Much to his amazement, he realized that Noah was leaning in to speak to him just as often.

About two-thirds of the way through the movie Ashton noticed that they were both leaning into the center corner between them, shoulders gently touching and elbows sharing the same arm rest awkwardly. The popcorn bowl was on the ground in front of them, the drink in the center arm rest holder. Ashton gulped. He was feeling unusually and unexpectedly brave.

Quietly, he lifted the drink from the holder and took a sip as casually as he could, honestly hating the taste of the watered down Coke now that the ice had melted, but he got over it, moving it into the holder on his other side. He returned his elbow to the center arm rest. Noah didn't seem to notice anything, his eyes glued to the large screen ahead. Ashton gulped, flexing his fingers and willing himself to stop running scared. Noah had said yes, he reminded himself. He could have easily turned him down, told him that he just wanted to be friends. Instead, he'd agreed to go out with Ashton, to go on a real date. That had to mean something. He hoped.

In the end he simply bit the inside of his lip and forced himself to just _do it_. His arm stretched out and timidly his hand wandered forward, closer, until his fingers brushed Noah's. Noah finally noticed and his head snapped to the side, glancing down at their fingers. Ashton moved them forward even more so that their fingers were loosely woven together at the tips. He looked up at Noah, who returned his gaze, silently asking permission. Noah smiled. Ashton beamed. They both moved their hands closer, fingers completely interlocking. It was a tight but comfortable grip, their arms naturally adjusting together on the arm rest. Ashton readjusted himself so that their shoulders were closer, eyes finding the screen again and a smile seemingly stained on his lips.

After the movie Ashton stood up and leaned against the seat in front of him, grinning wildly at Noah.

"That was fantastic," he said with absolute awe.

"I think I have to actually agree with you," laughed Noah.

Ashton led the way out of the theater, taking the steps two at a time and gushing about his favorite parts. Noah would jump in, either agreeing or challenging Ashton's comments. As they walked through the small theater toward the entrance they gravitated toward one another, hands finding each other as they continued with their playful banter.

They let go only as they reached Ashton's car. It was almost ten o'clock and even though they'd gone through an entire bowl of popcorn, and a box of Raisenets in Ashton's case, his stomach was still growling.

"I vote we get something to eat," he said cheerfully.

"Food would be great," agreed Noah. "All I had besides that popcorn today was a bowl of cereal and some veggie sandwich thing Maddie made us for lunch," he laughed.

"Awesome! So where to?"

"Al's?" suggested Noah. Ashton's shoulders fell.

"We _always_ eat at Al's. Everyone always eats at Al's!" he teased. "There's gotta be something new around here we can try."

Noah chuckled. "Like what? Oakdale isn't exactly a culinary rich town."

"True," Ashton sighed. "Well, there's gotta be a few places. I know there's a couple of little shops around campus."

"Alright, we can look around."

"Great," grinned Ashton, starting the car. He paused for a moment as he put the car into gear, soft eyes falling Noah. "Thanks, by the way."

Noah smiled back at him. He hesitated for a moment, his shoulders tightening, but then he reached out and laid his hand gently over Ashton's on the gear shift.

"No problem."


	10. The Date pt 2

They ended up at a small strip just off campus. There was a deli, ice cream shop, Chinese buffet, and a pizza shop called Angelo's. The smell is what won them over and they found themselves walking into the small pizza shop and choosing a table near the front window. It didn't take long for someone to come by and take their drink orders and give them menus.

"It all sounds good," chuckled Ashton.. "How am I supposed to pick?"

Noah smiled over his menu. "I think I'm going with one of the calzones," he said. "I haven't had a calzone in ages."

"Where are those?" he asked, leaning forward and looking Noah's menu. Noah sat his down and reached forward, pointing out the section on Ashton's menu and then closing his own. "Oh, those do sound good."

"You gentleman ready to order?" asked the waitress as she stepped up to their table. Noah looked at Ashton, who was biting his tongue and taking a final look at the menu.

"Yeah, I think so," he said, still glancing at the many options before him. "You go first."

Noah rolled his eyes. "I'll have a tomato and mushroom calzone," he said, handing the waitress his menu. She turned to Ashton expectantly.

"Er," he stalled. "I'll have the… how about a, mushroom and spinach calzone."

"You sure?" the waitress teased. Noah choked back a laughed and Ashton just smirked.

"Yes, I'm sure," he laughed along, handing her the menu.

Their breadsticks arrived five minutes later, followed closely by their entrees.

"Holy cow," exclaimed Ashton. "There is no way I'm going to be able to finish all of this!"

"Eat half now, take the other half home," suggested Noah with a smile as he separated the two halves of his own massive calzone. "I have a feeling that's what I'm going to end up doing."

Noah was true to his word. They both left the restaurant with white to-go boxes tucked under their arms. Ashton was moaning dramatically, a hand over his stomach.

"I ate too much," he whined as he got into the car. Noah laughed, dropping into the seat beside him. "So… homeward bound?" he asked cautiously. Noah smiled sadly, looking down at the time. It was nearly midnight.

"Well, I don't have to work until three, but don't you have to be at the studio early?" Noah asked.

"Sadly," Ashton groaned. "Why did I want this internship again?" They both laughed.

"You're gonna love it," said Noah encouragingly. "I mean, it can be a bit boring or tedious at times, but I know I learned a lot while I was there, and it was great to get some experience, see what it is really like to work on a set, even if it is just for local programming."

"True. Let's just hope I don't screw up and, I don't know, break a camera or something on my first day," Ashton laughed nervously.

Noah just smiled. The way he was staring, Ashton felt his face turn red.

"You're going to be great, Ashton," said Noah confidently. Ashton bit his lips.

Beat.

Ashton laughed a little and shook his head. "Let's hope you're right!" he said happily, starting the car and putting it in reverse.

Noah's apartment building was only about six or seven minutes from the restaurant and with the lack of traffic on the road at midnight in Oakdale, it took even less time than usual. There was no hesitation, no questioning glances as both men got out of the parked car and walked with each other into the building. Ashton had been here numerous times over the past few months. Along with Richard, Ashton had been another friend to give Noah rides to and from the hospital or to therapy, so he'd been here enough times that the short walk up the stairs and down the hall was more than familiar to him. Tonight, though, it felt ominously foreign.

He could hear Noah pulling out his keys and his throat tightened mercilessly.

The door was opened and Noah took a half a step inside before pivoting to face Ashton, keys returning to his pocket.

The moment of truth.

"Thanks again, for coming tonight," began Ashton. He looked down and hesitantly reached for Noah's hand, thrilled when Noah reached forward as well, their fingers linking easily between them. "I had a great time tonight. I hope that maybe, we could do this again?"

"I'd like that," replied Noah with a kind smile. Ashton's breath hitched for a moment, their fingers tightening. He boldly stepped closer to Noah, watching his face for any sign of uncertainty. He didn't see any.

Cautiously, and without looking away from Noah's eyes, he leaned forward, amazed as Noah did the same. Their faces were already close and slowly, oh so slowly, that small distance began to close.

"Hey, Noah, how was.. Oh!"

Maddie's voice grew louder with each word as she drifted into the living room from the hallway. She stopped abruptly as she saw the two men standing together in the door, her face taking on an impressive shade of pink that rivaled the tank top she was wearing.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed sheepishly, tip toeing quickly back down the hallway. Ashton let out a staggered breath, shoulders slumping and falling away a bit. Noah dropped his hands and Ashton felt his stomach sink.

Then came the awkward silence. Ashton was barely containing the urge to turn and run.

"Sorry about that," Noah said softly, scratching the back of his neck. Ashton was happy to see that he wasn't the only one turning red.

"I guess our luck only lasts til midnight," Ashton said with a forced laugh. Noah smiled.

"Maybe." Beat. "But maybe, this wasn't such a bad thing," Noah began again. Ashton's smile quickly fell. "I had fun tonight, Ashton. I really did," he said, reaching for Ashton's hand again. "But I don't know if I'm ready for that. I want to take things slow."

Ashton paused for a moment, replaying Noah's words three times before their meaning completely sunk in. He nodded, shifting uneasily on the balls of his feet.

"I understand," he began half heartedly. Noah frowned and Ashton tightened his fingers around Noah's, stepping close again. "Really, I do. Hell, I'm still shocked you agreed to even go out with me in the first place!" he laughed, and thankfully Noah laughed along.

"Thank you," Noah whispered appreciatively. "And I really would like to do this again," he added. Ashton's smiles finally reached his eyes again.

They stood there for a moment longer, fingers playing over the others palm absently and smiling nervously at one another. It was sickly sweet and so typical of a first date.

"Well I should get going," said Ashton. "And I'm sure Maddie is just waiting to pounce on you," he added with a laugh.

"Ugh, I bet you're right," chuckled Noah. "Alright. I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

Ashton beamed. "Definitely."

"Spill. Now."

Noah had barely closed the door when Maddie was standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed anxiously. He grinned, rolling his eyes and moving directly to the couch, dropping down with a soft thud. Maddie joined him, curling up in the opposite corner.

"So how was it?" she asked after a few moments of silence. She was leaning on her elbow, propped on the back of the couch, and grinning insistently. Noah leaned into the corner, smiling back.

"Honestly? It was… it was wonderful."


	11. Dinner In

It was going on eight when Ashton's phone began buzzing on the kitchen counter. The apartment smelled amazing and there was a mix of jazz music from the living room and the sizzle of burgers on the counter-top grill. He was currently cutting up raw potatoes when he noticed the screen on his phone light up, setting down the knife and quickly answering without checking the ID. As usual.

"Hello?"

"Hey," said Noah.

"Hey yourself," replied Ashton easily, holding the phone with his shoulder and moving back to cutting up potatoes.

"What are you up to?"

"Cooking dinner," said Ashton.

"Mmm, what are you making?"

"Burgers and potatoes."

"Sounds delicious."

"Oh, it will be," laughed Ashton.

"I bet. You always were a good cook."

Ashton paused.

"So what are you up to?"

"Me? Nothing, really. Maddie and I were thinking about ordering pizza or something, maybe watch a movie."

"Ah."

"Ah?" laughed Noah.

Ashton smiled. "Maybe this is a bit forward, but would you like to come over? I'm gonna have enough mashed potatoes to last me the rest of the week at this rate."

Noah paused.

"Actually, that sounds great, thanks. When should I come over?"

"Well, I should be done in about twenty minutes," began Ashton.

"Alright, well I guess I can head over now," interjected Noah. Ashton was smiling again.

"Sounds good. I'll see you soon," he said.

"See you soon," Noah repeated before hanging up.

Fifteen minutes later Ashton heard a knock at the door.

"Coming!" he called, licking his fingers of the mushy potatoes that covered the tips and tossing his rag over his shoulder. He jogged to the door, opening it with a smile. "Hey."

"Hey," said Noah, stepping inside. He closed the door himself as Ashton moved across the room to turn down the music. "Wow, it smells amazing."

"Thanks," Ashton smiled. "Everything should be done in about five minutes. Make yourself at home." And with that, he was in the kitchen again. Noah laughed and shook his head, shrugging off his jacket and laying it over the back of a chair.

As promised, Ashton emerged a few minutes later with two plates in hand.

They settled into the corners of the average sized couch, Ashton turning on the TV with the remote and settling on George Lopez on Nick at Nite. They ate mostly in silence, laughing at the comedy playing before them.

It was a simple evening. Noah helped Ashton to rinse the dishes before they went back to their places on the couch and watching more TV. They sat a little closer this time, not quite as in opposing corners as before. An hour and two more episodes of George Lopez later they went back into the kitchen before returning to the living room with bowls of ice cream. They sat even closer this time, occupying the center of the couch and their shoulders just barely touching. Once they were done with their dessert they didn't bother taking the bowls back to the kitchen, instead leaving them on the coffee table and kicking up their feet. Ashton dared to move a little closer, to which Noah responded perfectly. They tangled their arms, hands finding each other easily and resting against their thighs.

It was eleven when they finally moved. Both of them had to work in the morning and knew that it was probably best for Noah to get going. Ashton turned off the TV and slowly rose to his feet, stretching and groaning a bit for effect. Noah grabbed his jacket and slipped it on again, Ashton coming to stand with him near the door.

"Thanks for inviting me over," smiled Noah.

"Thanks for accepting."

They both laughed a little, standing nervously, just as they had the evening before.

"Well I guess I should get going," said Noah quietly. Ashton nodded. He stepped forward and opened the door, standing back so Noah could get by. Noah started to pass but then stopped and turned to Ashton. They were standing unbelievably close and Ashton was extremely aware of this. He gulped.

"About last night," Noah began apologetically. Ashton shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, Noah," he insisted. Noah looked down and smiled.

"I want to say this. I know you said it was okay and that you understand, but I know it wasn't fair of me to lead you on like that only to back out at the last minute."

"Noah, it's not your fault. If I blame anyone I blame Maddie," he laughed. Noah smiled appreciatively.

"Yeah, well, I know Maddie isn't to blame. I know it's all on me. The truth is, I haven't even kissed anyone since Luke. I guess I just sort of freaked out."

Ashton smiled, bringing a hand up to gently rub Noah's arm. "I still understand, Noah. Take your own advice, stop apologizing."

Noah laughed softly. He looked back up and his eyes met Ashton's. They held an intense gaze for a few moments, Ashton's fingers playing gently over the fabric on Noah's arm. Noah gently pressed his arm into the touch.

The decision was unspoken, silently agreed upon simply by looks, but then again, isn't that how it usually happens? Ashton moved first, his eyes dropping to Noah's lips and then back to his eyes, and then again. His hand moved upward, from Noah's arm, to his shoulder, then finally his neck, fingers cupping behind it to help ease him forward. Truth be told he was shaking inside, watching even more closely for some sign of hesitation. As before, he saw none, and this time there were no roommates to interrupt them

It filled the very definition of a typical first kiss. It was light, cautious, and oh so good.

And then, it was over.

Ashton forced himself to breathe. His fingers played over the back of Noah's neck as they pulled apart, eyes closed but both smiling, foreheads gently resting against each other for a moment. The sound of a door opening down the hall snapped them back and they finally separated completely, smiling embarrassingly at each other.

"Good night, Ashton," Noah practically whispered as he stepped backward through the door.

"Good night," returned Ashton, watching as Noah smiled at him one last time before turning down the hallway. Ashton stepped forward and watching down the hall as Noah walked away until he disappeared into the stairwell before stepping back into his apartment and closing the door. His hand lingered on the handle for a moment as he replayed the last two minutes in his head, making sure he hadn't dreamed it up.


	12. Coming Home

_Ashton had to go home for the weekend (his mother is quite persuasive when she wants to see her children!) and so Noah offered to tag along, help with the driving. They left Friday night, and are returning early Monday morning, having left Sunday night. _

_

* * *

_

"Thanks, for going with me," Ashton said suddenly, breaking the silence that had comfortably settled over the dark car for the last twenty minutes or so since they'd crossed in Illinois.

Noah laughed easily, turning in his seat. The back of the seat was lowered, Noah sprawled on his side, eyes heavy with near sleep. "It's no problem, Ashton. I had a good time," he insisted, again. Ashton smiled, eyes never leaving the road.

The silence resumed and Noah drifted asleep. Ashton continued driving until he was yawning so much that he couldn't see straight. He waited for the next official rest stop, pulling off the turnpike and parking. When the car turned off Noah stirred a little, but didn't fully wake. Ashton looked down at him with a smile. He liked watching Noah sleep, as strange as that sounded. He looked peaceful. It seemed like the only time Noah seemed completely at ease was when he was asleep. The thought saddened Ashton a bit, but not enough to frown. Carefully, he reached out and pushed some of Noah's hair out of his eyes. It was getting long, or at least long for Noah. He let his hand linger for a moment, thumb lightly brushing over his cheek. Noah took in a long breath, sighing contently. Ashton spotted a smile and laughed softly beneath his breath.

"Hey you," he whispered.

"Mm," was all Noah replied, still smiling as he tightened his folded arms, curling further into the seat.

Ashton laughed. "Hey, we stopped," he went on. "I'm gonna get some food, just vending machine stuff. Want anything?" he asked.

"Uhh," yawned Noah, slowly opening his eyes and sitting up a bit. "I think I'm alright," he finally decided.

"You sure?" Ashton asked. Noah nodded, eyes falling shut again. Ashton smiled, watching him a moment longer before stepping out of the car.

It was still warm, even though it was just after midnight. They still had about two more hours before they would be back in Oakdale. They were supposed to leave Cleveland at four o'clock, but his mother had insisted they stay for dinner and so they didn't hit the road til almost eight. Ashton wasn't complaining, though, as he pictured Noah, still sleeping in his car. He was smiling during the entire short walk up to the vending machines. It was quiet, the only other people were a cleaning woman and another couple walking back to their car from the restrooms. Ashton dropped some coins into the machines, getting two waters and a bag of potato chips (he was a simple guy, after all). He was just standing back up after crouching down for the chips when he felt two arms encircle his waist.

Ashton jumped a little, causing the dark haired man behind him to laugh sleepily.

"You just about gave me a heart attack!" Ashton said with a strained laughing, leaning into Noah a bit.

"I noticed," Noah chuckled into Ashton's ear, hooking his chin over Ashton''s shoulder.

"I thought you didn't want anything?"

"Changed my mind."

"Uh-huh," grinned Ashton.

"Um," said Noah thoughtfully, eying the selections in front of them while still holding easily onto Ashton. "How about, M&Ms. Simple, classic."

"Good choice," Ashton agreed. They pulled away from each other, Ashton pulling some quarters from his pocket while awkwardly holding the two drinks and chips with one arm, dropping the coins into a grinning Noah's open hand. As the machine turned and dropped the candy, Noah took one bottle from Ashton before reaching down for his snack.

They both managed to hold their drinks and their 'food' selections in one hand, their free hands intertwined between them as they slowly made their way back to the car.

"Where are we exactly?" Noah asked with a laugh as they broke apart, moving to their respective doors.

"Just got into Illinois," said Ashton. "Got about two more hours."

"Want me to drive?"

"What? Oh, no, it's fine. You drove the first three hours. You go back to sleep, I don't mind."

"You sure? You look exhausted," smiled Noah.

Ashton hesitated to answer, which was enough for Noah.

"Seriously, I'll drive."

"No! It's fine!"

Noah groaned. "Fine, but I'm staying awake, too. I'll try to actually be decent company," he laughed.

Ashton's smile softened. "You've been great company," he insisted, reaching for Noah's hand and squeezing it. "Thank you."

"Stop thanking me," said Noah, and then he was leaning across the arm rest between them, free hand cupping Ashton's face and kissing him gently. "I already told you, I had a good time. I'm still having a good time."

They held each others gaze for a few moments, both glowing with embarrassment and happiness combined. Ashton bit his lip, and Noah finally let out a breath, laughing a little and falling back into his seat while reaching for the radio.

"Alright, let's see..."

It was going on two o'clock in the morning when they got into Oakdale.

"So, I was thinking that maybe, I could crash at your place tonight?"

Ashton looked up. To say he was shocked by Noah's words was putting it very lightly. He stared, thankful they were stopped at a red light.

"I mean, I can sleep on the couch, or whatever," Noah started quickly, blushing brightly. "It's just that it's late, and I know Maddie has an early class tomorrow and I don't want to wake her and..."

His words were cut off by Ashton's hand, two fingers pressing gently against Noah's lips.

"It's fine, Noah. Of course you can crash at my place," he said, just as the light changed. Noah relaxed, slumping easily against his seat and smiling like a fool at Ashton the rest of the ride.

They were quiet as they walked through the hall and into Ashton's apartment, each with a small bag over their shoulders. Noah held his water bottle awkwardly in his hand, mostly for the sake of having something to fidget with.

Ashton began to flick on the lights. Toby came rushing out, whining and wagging his tail in excitement.

"Hey, boy!" Ashton laughed, dropping his bag onto the couch before sitting down and letting Toby jump into his lap. Noah smiled, watching from across the room. "Ha ha, alright, alright, settle down, Toby. Settle." Ashton continued to laugh as Toby licked his face, jumping around excitedly. "Alright, that's enough. C'mon, go lay down," he instructed, standing up and pointing to Toby's bed in the corner of the room. Toby listened, curling up but still watching them, tail flopping back and forth.

Noah still stood near the door, just watching the scene. Ashton looked up, smiling tiredly.

"You can come in, you know."

Noah, looking almost startled, took a deep breath. "Right, sorry."

"Um, I'll go get you a pillow and some blankets?"

Noah nodded. Ashton disappeared into his room and Noah sighed, moving toward the couch and dropping his bag. He was already in basketball shorts and a t-shirt, they had chosen comfort for the seven hour drive, so he didn't worry about changing his clothes. He sighed again, looking down at the couch with a frown.

"Here," came Ashton's voice. Noah turned around to see Ashton with a pillow hooked under one arm and holding a blanket to his chest. He brought them over, carefully dropping them onto the couch. "Hopefully those will work," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"They'll be fine, thanks," said Noah with a forced smile.

More silence.

"Well," began Ashton nervously. "I guess we should get some sleep then."

Noah nodded. "Yeah, probably."

"Alright then. Good night."

"Good night."

They both stood there a moment longer before Ashton hastily turned away, cursing himself as he retreated into his bedroom.

It wasn't even three o'clock when Ashton's door creaked open. He wasn't asleep, not by a long shot. Slowly he sat up, pushing back the blankets. Noah closed the door behind him and quietly crossed the room, his bare feet hardly making a sound on the carpet floor. Without a word he climbed into the bed, sitting on his bent legs and watching Ashton in the dark.

"Toby kept jumping on me," he whispered, amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, I should have warned you, he likes the couch."

"I noticed," answered Noah, his voice still low. He shifted closer, a hand finding Ashton's waist. Ashton bit back a gasp.

"Are you sure?" asked Ashton, though contradicting his own words by leaning into the touch.

Even in the dark, he could see Noah frown, feel his body tense.

"Hey, hey," said Ashton, reaching out for Noah, cupping his face in both hands. "We don't have to do anything. Just, stay here with me tonight. Okay?"

He watched Noah as the words sunk in, as the doubt faded from his eyes. Then Noah nodded.

"Alright," he answered. Ashton beamed, leaning in and kissing him gently a few times. Noah pressed his fingers into Ashton's side encouragingly. They continued kissing from a few minutes, moving ever closer on the bed. Ashton laughed, breaking the kiss and resting his forehead against Noah's.

"We should stop," he whispered, struggling to even say the words. Noah laughed nervously.

"Yeah, probably."

Quietly, they both lowered into the bed. Ashton held up the blankets, letting Noah slip inside before pulling them up around them both. They both laid on their sides, facing each other. Ashton moved closer, an arm going around Noah's waist, their legs tangling comfortably. Noah curled against Ashton's chest, his head resting just below Ashton's chin. Brushing Noah's hair out of his face again, Ashton pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, smiling at the content sigh he heard escape Noah's lips.

"Good night. Again," Noah said with a soft laugh, a yawn creeping in at the end.

"Mm. Good night."


	13. Just A Bad Dream

_Warning! Spoilery!

* * *

_

"I said, are you okay?"

Katie blinked.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she said, shaking her head. Chris frowned at her, leaning on the table.

"Katie," he said in that condescending voice of his that told Katie she wasn't doing a very good job at lying. She sighed.

"Alright, fine, I'm sorry. It was a rough night," she sighed.

"Jacob?"

She shook her head. "Nightmares," she admitted with a frowned.

"What kind of nightmares?" he asked.

Katie looked up with wide eyes, gripping her coffee cup firmly.

"About you, and Reid."

Chris laughed. "What about us exactly?" he asked, his voice nervous.

"No, nothing like that!" insisted Katie, blushing. "These were real nightmares, Chris. I woke up in a cold sweat and I couldn't get back to sleep and I spent the whole night just tossing and turning and trying to forget what I'd seen and..."

"Hey, hey, Katie, it's okay," Chris said soothingly, reaching across the small table and taking Katie's hand. "It was just a nightmare. It's alright."

"But it was so real, Chris!" she nearly cried, pinching the bridge of her nose to try and calm herself down. She did not want to have a break down in Java over some silly dreams.

"Tell me about them." Katie looked up. Chris was watching her, his eyes kind but worried. She hesitated but finally sighed, squeezing his hand.

"I dreamed that you were sick. That you had some, virus or something that had damaged your heart. And you wouldn't tell anyone, not me, not your family, and Reid found out and you made him keep it a secret. He was helping you -" Chris interrupted with laughter, but one look at Katie's stern face shut him up, "but you were getting worse. And then we almost lost you, I almost lost you. You needed a new heart. John Dixon was back, and he tracked down a heart a few towns over. They wouldn't fly it out, couldn't, something, I don't know. Reid offered to drive out and get it. But then... then..." Katie began choking, failing to hold back tears.

"Shh, shh, it's alright. I'm right here," Chris was saying, taking both of her hands now with his and leaning further across the table.

"He was hit by a train, his car stalled on the tracks," she whispered, her voice thick with tears.

"Hey, no crying now, it was just a nightmare," Chris said, trying to laugh a little. He moved around the table, crouching next to Katie and letting her fall against him, holding her tight. "It was just a dream. I promise, I'm not sick. And besides, Reid would never go out of his way to help me."

At that, Katie finally laughed. She pulled back, though Chris' hands remained firmly on her waist. She laughed weakly, wiping her eyes with her fingertips.

"I know. I'm so stupid, this is so silly of me!"

"You're not stupid, Katie," Chris insisted firmly. "You had a dream that felt real, one where you lost two people you care about. Anyone would be upset."

Sniffling, Katie smiled adoringly at Chris, watching him a moment before hugging him again.

"You're the best," she said into his shoulder. Chris smiled, hugging her close.

"I try," he grinned, please when Katie laughed.

"Come on, we're going to be late for that open house," said Chris, standing up gently and offering his hand. Katie laughed, wiping away the last of the tears as she accepted his hand.

"Thank you," she smiled, her face and eyes still red. Chris thought she looked stunning.

"Just doing my job," he shrugged with a smile.

"Oh really? And what job is that?"

"Making sure you're happy, that you feel safe," he answered honestly. Katie looked a little surprised.

"Well," she began, squeezing his hand. "You're doing a great job."

Chris laughed, smiling so his dimples showed. He leaned down and kissed Katie on the cheek. "Good to know."


	14. Morning After

When Ashton woke up the next morning, well, afternoon, he was laying on his side near the edge of the bed, facing the wall. His eyes fluttered in his half-conscious state, his brain slowly recounting the details of the day and night before. Gradually the earlier hours of the morning came into focus and his eyes widened. For a moment he was sure it must have been a dream. Cautiously, afraid to be proven right, he rolled over, his breath catching as he looked over the bed.

Noah was still sleeping.

Sprawled on his back, one hand on his chest and the other curled next to his face. His lips were slightly parted and he was breathing easily through his nose. Ashton inhaled, slowly and shaky, willing his body to relax into the blankets.

Finally he did manage to calm down and moved a little closer, curling onto his side and bending his arms in front of his chest, smiling as he watched Noah sleep. A gentle light filtering in through the blinds filled the room and Ashton knew it had to be well into the day. It didn't matter, though, what time it was. His mind wasn't thinking about the time or the classes they were missing today or the ones they had to be ready for tomorrow. All he could think about was this, this moment, and how much he loved waking up on his own, not to the sound of some stupid pop song on the radio, and with Noah sleeping next to him. Tenderly he reached out and brushed Noah's hair away. He smiled to himself, knowing that he liked Noah with shorter hair, but that if he were to cut it he would miss being able to push it back like this. He laughed softly to himself at the thought, the gentle sound making Noah stir.

His eyes scrunched and he let out a tired groan, body tensing for a moment before relaxing with a content sigh into the sheets. Ashton continued to stroke Noah's hair, sitting up a little on his arm and watching as sleep slowly faded away from the beautiful man beside him.

"Mm," Noah hummed tiredly, his voice a little raspy with sleep. "Morning?"

Ashton chuckled again. "Try afternoon."

Noah blinked, taking in a long, deep breath. "What time is it?"

"Honestly, no idea," sighed Ashton, letting himself fall down beside Noah, he turned onto his side, facing Ashton with his eyes still closed.

"Unless it's already Tuesday, let me sleep," said Noah groggily, a small smile gracing his lips. Ashton laughed.

"You really planning on sleeping all day?" he asked.

Noah just nodded, still smiling. He curled his arms in front of him, resting his folded hands beneath his head. Then he yawned.

"Actually, spending the day in bed sounds pretty good to me."

Noah's smile twitched a little, turning into more of a smirk as a small laugh rumbled through his chest.

Ashton blushed.

"I didn't mean it like that," he laughed in embarrassment, reaching out and poking Noah in the side, who recoiled and laughed in response.

"Hey now!" he chuckled, eyes finally opening a bit more as he shifted on the bed. He rolled onto his back again, sighing as he stretched. Once he relaxed he let both hands fall onto his chest, turning his head to face Ashton. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Letting me stay."

Ashton shook his head, smiling. "You really think I was going to say no?"

"Good point," Noah laughed.

"I will say that at first I hated the idea," Ashton began, rolling onto his back and placing both hands behind his head. Noah smirked curiously. "I mean, me sleeping in here, you only a few yards away on the couch. Ugh, it was like slow torture," he said with a fake groan. Noah laughed, rolling over and allowing himself to press up against Ashton's side. Ashton laughed as well, dropping an arm around Noah's shoulders and rubbing them absently, relishing in the warm of Noah's body against his.

They laid like that for quite some time, both pairs of eyes falling shut as sleep threatened to claim them again, which neither was about to fight. That is, until Ashton's phone went off on the nightstand, just out of reach.

"Ugh," he moaned, tensing beneath Noah, who laughed quietly against him. "I should probably get that."

Noah silently rolled away and sat up, watching as Ashton sat up as well and reached for the phone. He opened it, a smile bursting across his face as he read whatever was on the screen, a loud, almost hysterical laugh escaping him moments later.

"What?" asked Noah, moving on the bed toward Ashton. He came to sit against him again, slightly behind him and hooking his chin over Ashton's shoulder, trying to see the small screen.

"Look," said Ashton, handing the phone to Noah. Noah sat back, reading the small print before laughing as well, though he was also blushing.

"Wow. Guess I should have texted her last night to let her know I was staying here," he said, handing Ashton his phone and rubbing the back of his neck.

"You think? I'm surprised this is the first we've heard from her. She sounds panicked," said Ashton, still laughing.

"Maddie likes to over react…" sighed Noah with a smile. Ashton's attention returned to his phone for a moment, texting Maddie back and confirming her frenzied suspicion that he was with Ashton.

"Did you see the time?" Ashton asked, nodding toward his clock. Noah took a glance, eyes widening.

"It's almost three?" he shouted. "Damn."

"No wonder she was worried," grinned Ashton.

"You are way too amused by this."

"Can you blame?" insisted Ashton. "Your roommate, who also happens to be your ex-girlfriend, just texting me saying that she desperately hopes that you are curled up in my bed right now because if not she was going to have to pull some strings with Oakdale PD to get the search and rescue unit in full swing."

Noah paused.

"Okay. So maybe it's a little funny," he said with his bright smile. Ashton dropped the phone back onto the table, scooting closer to Noah on the bed.

"Very funny," he corrected, wrapping his arms around Noah's neck. The grinned at each a moment longer before mutually leaning in, chapped lips meetings chapped lips. They kissed for a minute or so before Ashton pulled away with a laugh.

"Morning breath," he said, crinkling his nose. "Not so sexy."

"You're one to talk," Noah teased back. They laughed and rested their foreheads together for Ashton let out a dramatic sigh, breaking away and practically jumping off the bed.

"Alright. As much as I _love _the idea of spending this entire day in bed, we've practically done that already and should at the very least eat... and brush our teeth." He stood in front of the bed, wearing basketball shorts and an Oakdale U t-shirt, arms crossed and grinning down at Noah, who climbed off the bed beside him.

"Mm, food sounds good," he laughed, moving to stand in front of Ashton and dropping his arms around the other man's neck, thankful that they were almost exactly the same height. Ashton's arms instantly encircled Noah's small waist, holding him close. Noah pressed a fleeting kiss to Ashton's lips, smiling at the disappointment on Ashton's face. "And so does fresh breath."


	15. Wonderfully Awkward

Friday, September 3rd, 2010.

* * *

"You sure you're alright with this? I know it's probably awkward for you…" Ashton said into his phone as he walked through Old Town, his free hand deep in his pocket.

"It's fine, I promise. I know he's still your friend, I'm okay with that. Who knows, maybe that fact alone will help Luke and I to patch things up someday," Noah sighed.

"I know you guys will work things out, Noah. Try to be a little optimistic," said Ashton with a smile that Noah could hear.

"Thanks," he answered. "Well I have to get back, but you have fun. I'll see you tonight?"

"Of course."

"See? And that's why I have no problem with this."

It had been a long day at the studio but it was just after five o'clock and Ashton was finally free. Noah was working til close and it took quite a bit of restraint on Ashton's end not to wander in and say hello as he headed over to Al's.

"Ashton!" came a friendly voice from one of the tables near the door. Ashton smiled brightly, walking over and hugging the blond.

"Hey!" he answered happily. "Damn, it's been too long," he laughed as he and Luke took their seats across from one another.

"Uh, I know. The funny thing is it's only been about a month, but still. A month? God, I remember when all of us got together every other night to hang out. Kind of sucks growing up sometimes, doesn't it?"

Ashton laughed. "Yeah, I can agree with that."

"So how are things at WOAK?"

"Real good, actually," nodded Ashton. "On top of school it doesn't leave me much free time, but it's great experience, I'm learning a lot."

"That's really great, Ashton," beamed Luke in that prideful way that only Luke Snyder could manage.

"So how about you? How are things with the foundation, Grimaldi?"

"Pretty good, it's been kind of quiet lately, actually. It's nice," Luke laughed.

"Yeah I bet. Things have been pretty crazy lately, huh?"

"Definitely," sighed Luke with a smile.

"How's Cookies?"

Luke laughed. "You know, I can only keep him from killing you for so long."

"Oh, we all know he loves my little pet names!" They both laughed.

"So," said Luke, his voice suddenly shifting and Ashton immediately prepared himself for the awkward conversation he was sure would follow. "How is Noah?" The sincere curiosity and almost concern in Luke's voice nearly killed Ashton, but at the same time, just thinking about Noah made him start smiling like mad.

"He's good," he answered honestly, thinking back to the beginning of the week. "Busy, with school and work, but that's Noah for you."

Luke laughed softly. "Yeah," was all he said in reply.

Then there was silence, and that was something Ashton simply couldn't handle. He didn't do awkward silences.

"Look, Luke," he began, leaning forward. "I know this is probably really weird for you… me, and Noah, but I really hope it doesn't change everything, that we can all still be friends, hang out like this from time to time."

"It's not weird," insisted Luke, but it was obvious that he was lying. Luke sighed. "Alright, it's a little weird," he frowned. "It's just, I guess I always knew that you liked Noah, especially these past few months. You've been such a good friend to him, helping him out when I couldn't," Luke's voice cracked, "but it was still weird, when I first heard."

Ashton nodded guiltily. "I'm sorry that you had to find out through the grape vine, I should have talked to you myself," sighed Ashton. "I am meaning to get new friends, ones that don't gossip so much," he said with a faint laugh. Luke laughed along.

"She did feel really bad about that, by the way," grinned Luke. "I honestly don't think she knew that I didn't know."

"Yeah, I know. Steph can be a big mouth but I know that making things awkward between all of us is the last thing she would want."

Luke nodded in agreement, grinning pleasantly at Ashton.

"I'm happy for you guys," Luke began. "I know that might sound weird from me, but I really am. Yeah, it's weird, but I guess in a way it makes sense," Luke smirked.

"Makes sense?"

"Yeah," said Luke, sitting up. "I mean, you are both such great guys, and I want you both to be happy and to be with someone who really cares about you. And we've all been such good friends for such a long time… I don't know, it just seems obvious now."

Ashton laughed. "You sure this isn't just you being glad that your ex has finally moved on?"

Luke laughed as well. "Alright, maybe that's part of it," he admitted. "Because yes, I am glad he moved on, for my sake but also for his. And I'm glad he moved on with someone as good as you. If anyone is going to replace me…" Luke trailed off, laughing and leaning back in his seat. Ashton chuckled a little, folding his arms and smiling happily at Luke.

"Thanks, Luke. It really means a lot, and I know it means a lot to Noah. He wants things to get better between you two."

Luke nodded. "I want that, too."


	16. Friday, September 3rd

No one was in the hospital. No one was biting their nails with worry. No one was stuck on the rail road tracks. And no one was heart broken in any sense of the word. On Friday, September 3rd, 2010, the people of Oakdale were oblivious to the traumas that could have been, instead focusing on the perfections that simply were.

* * *

_**Friday, September 3**__**rd**__**, 2010.**_

Chris sat at Margo and Tom's dining room table, arm around the back of Katie's chair and shaking his head with an embarrassed smile at the lame joke Tom had just massacred. It was a warm evening and they had the windows open, a cool breeze filtering through the house. Chris sighed contently, leaning back in his chair. Tom and Margo were holding hands on the table in such a natural way that Chris wondered if they even noticed. He watched as they would laugh together, exchange quick glances, nudge the other or tighten their grip on each others hand. He'd always admired Tom and Margo. Glancing down at Katie, who was laughing brightly with Margo over something Chris had apparently missed, he couldn't help but hope that someday they would be that couple that others saw and admired.

"Well I think it is great that you guys are giving that cabin some use this weekend," said Tom matter-of-factly.

"It should be fun," smiled Katie. "Jacob's going to love it there, I just know it."

"When do you guys leave?" asked Margo.

"Tomorrow afternoon," answered Chris, sitting up a bit as he rejoined the conversation. "I have rounds in the morning and Katie has some stuff to wrap up at the studio, but we'll be there tomorrow night, all Sunday and most of Monday."

"Sounds fun," smiled Margo.

"Yeah, it will be fun," replied Katie, reaching up to take Chris' hand, which was now resting easily on his shoulder. She looked up at him with a confident smile, and he felt his heart race happily. When she turned back to Tom and Margo, who were already chatting away again about this and that, Chris leaned down and kissed the top of Katie's head, earning him another smile and an overwhelming sense that things were exactly as they should be.

* * *

"How was whatever you call it with Ashton?"

Luke grinned, eying Reid from across the room. Reid was trying to sound nonchalant, his back to Luke as he stood in the kitchen making another one of his ridiculous sandwiches.

"It was good," Luke replied with a grin, setting down his bag and shrugging off his jacket.

"Hm," was all he got in response. Luke laughed.

"You really don't like him, do you?" Luke asked, walking into Katie's kitchen with a wide smile, crossing his arms easily over his chest.

Reid snorted, then sighed. "He's… _alright_. I guess." Then he groaned.

Chuckling softly, Luke stepped forward, pressing up against Reid's back and hooking his chin on Reid's shoulder, wrapping his arms around him.

"I'm sorry if this whole situation is awkward for you," Luke said quietly into Reid's ear. Reid continued to work on his edible creation, shrugging gently beneath Luke's weight.

"It's not awkward, just," Reid paused.

"Weird?"

"Very."

Luke laughed, kissing the side of Reid's neck.

"Well, he and Noah are officially together. Which should make you happy."

"Why would that make me happy?"

"Because Noah has moved on, you don't have to worry about him."

Reid groaned, setting down the knife he was using to spread mayonnaise and turning around to face Luke. "I wasn't worried about Noah coming in and swooping you up or something," he said. Luke knew he was lying but didn't press the issue. "But now that he's all… chummy, with Ashton, that just means you all will probably be hanging out and spending 'quality time' together and being obnoxious twenty-somethings, and chances are I'll get dragged into it," Reid groaned.

Luke said nothing, just smirking and staring, arms crossed over his chest again.

"What?"

"Nothing," smiled Luke too innocently. Reid's lips turned upward as he stepped up to the blond, immediately taking him by the waist.

"Liar," he whispered, leaning in to kiss Luke.

"Mm," Luke moaned appreciatively into the kiss. "Don't worry about them. Ashton, or Noah, or any of my friends. I won't force you to be around the if you don't want to."

Damn Luke and his sincerity. Reid sighed.

"I don't mind, Luke. Well, most of the time. And like you said, Noah's all into Ashton, Ashton has officially lost points, again, for being all into Noah-" Luke playfully smacked him, "Casey is all over that blond nurse-"

"Alison."

"Whatever. And you, though. You I have all to myself."

"You think so, huh?" Luke was still grinning up at Reid, his arms linked around Reid's neck and hanging on him slightly, bodies pressed together.

"Oh, I know so."

"So now that you have me 'all to yourself', what are you going to do with me?"

"Hmm," said Reid, looking up and pretending to be deep in thought before looking back at Luke, a devilish smirk of his own taking over his face. "I have a few ideas."

* * *

"I feel like my head is going to explode," groaned Ashton as he dropped down onto the couch, immediately falling sideways and resting his head in Noah's lap. Noah laughed sympathetically, running his hand over Ashton's hair and smoothing it back.

"Still hasn't gone away?" he asked.

Ashton shook his head a little. "Nope."

"Have you taken anything?"

"Some Tylenol," Ashton shrugged, shifting a bit and getting comfortable before letting his eyes fall shut. Noah sighed.

"You should get some actual migraine medicine. I think I have some Excedrin at my place, I could go get it."

"Mm, no," protested Ashton, reaching up and taking Noah's hand. It was an awkward angle, but his fingers were tangled with Noah's and that was all that mattered. His eyes were still closed, but he knew Noah was smiling. "Stay. I feel better already."

A soft laughed rumbled through Noah.

"Alright, I'll stay."

Noah turned on the TV with the remote, keeping the volume low as he flipped between shows. Before the first half-hour sitcom he'd found was over, Ashton had fallen asleep. Noah was grateful. He knew that Ashton was having a rough day, especially because he was dealing with it on top of having a migraine since the night before. He frowned to himself, running his fingers through Ashton's hair and watching him. Truth be told, he was a little worried, but he wasn't going to say anything. Ashton would just laugh at him and tell him he was over reacting.

Just before midnight Noah found himself yawning and decided he should get Ashton into bed. First he turned off the TV and the lamp beside him. Then he carefully stretched his legs, one of which had painfully fallen asleep but he hadn't bothered to wake it up because Ashton looked far too peaceful to disturb.

"Hey, you," he said quietly as Ashton's eyes began to flutter. "C'mon, time for bed."

Ashton let out a few sleepy sounds, allowing Noah to awkwardly help him to his feet. He yawned, awake enough to stand and move on his own, but Noah linked an arm around his waist anyway.

"'time is it?" he asked, voice thick with exhaustion.

"Almost midnight," answered Noah, stopping to hit the light switch for the living room before continuing their little journey down the hall.

By the time they got into Ashton's room, Ashton was completely awake. Both of them knew that the moment his head hit the pillow he would be out again, but he was aware enough to find some shorts and a t-shirt and change in the near-darkness, a small, dim lamp on the dresser the only illumination. Noah had been staying over almost every night for the past week and had a small bag of clothes in the corner. He changed as well, watching with a smile as Ashton plop down onto the bed dramatically, not even bothering to pull back the covers. Noah shook his head with a gentle laugh before turning off the light, knowing the room well enough by now to navigate even in the dark.

"C'mon," he said, struggling to pull the sheets back from beneath Ashton, who groaned dramatically with a hint of laughter. "Now you're just being difficult," Noah teased, reaching out and poking Ashton in the side, causing him to recoil and laugh a little.

Once Noah had the blankets back he slipped into the bed, moving up behind Ashton and pressing gently against his back, an arm draped over his waist. Ashton stirred a bit, his breathing already slowing as he curled into Noah. Pulling the covers up to their chests, Noah rested his forehead against the back of Ashton's head, listening for a few minutes longer as Ashton fell asleep. With a permanent smile, Noah closed his eyes and finally let sleep take over him as well.

* * *

"Hurry up! We're going to be late!"

Casey was yelling and laughing and being his usual obnoxious self as he followed after Alison from his room into the living room of his parents' house. He had a small duffel bag slung easily over his shoulder, his keys jingling in his hand.

"I'm going, I'm going," Alison laughed, readjusting the bag she had over her own shoulder for the umpteenth time as she moved around the couch, grabbing her cell phone and her own keys, dropping them into her bag that was sprawled on the couch, nearly dumping it's contents. "Why are you in such a rush, anyway?"

"Because, I told Will we'd be there by five. It's already two o'clock, and it takes two hours to get there, and we'll probably stop for lunch!"

Alison laughed again. Casey was too cute when he was this excited. She couldn't blame him, though. They'd barely had any time with Will and Gwen when they had been in town the week before and the idea of spending the entire weekend with them, together, had Alison feeling just about as anxious as Casey was outwardly acting.

"Alright, I'm ready, I'm ready," she said, grabbing her purse and coming to meet Casey at the door, which he was already holding open. She passed him and headed for the car, dropping her things into the back seat before getting in the front. Casey started the car as she buckled up, still smiling brightly, enjoying how happy Casey was. He was just about to put the car in reverse when suddenly he stopped, grinning as he turned to her.

"I love you," he said out of nowhere, causing Alison to turn red. Before she could say anything back he was leaning forward and cupping her face with both hands, kissing her hard on the mouth one, twice, three times before settling back into his seat, a blissful grin on his face.

"What was that for?" asked Alison with a gentle smile, her cheeks completely flushed.

Casey shrugged. "I just felt like kissing my fiancée is all," he said brightly. Alison laughed.

"You love that word, don't you?"

"Why, yes, I do, _fiancée."_

They shared a smile before Casey finally started to back out of the driving, turning onto the road and turning up the music, practically bouncing with anticipation for the weekend ahead.


	17. Met His Match

"Pretty soon I'm just going to start moving the pieces for you."

Reid slumped into the uncomfortable wooden chair, crossing his arms with a dramatic sigh, lips pursed tightly and eyes locked on the chess board in front of him, watching as Luke's fingers wiggled over one piece and then another uncertainly. He'd been doing this for two minutes now, refusing to commit to one mover or another. The sad part was that Reid was steadily getting use to it.

"Oh, hush," smiled Luke, eyes locked on the board in front of him.

Finally, he moved.

With an unnecessary groan Reid sat up and immediately reached out and moved. Luke frowned, realizing once again that Reid was still two moves head of him at least.

"Damn," Luke muttered, pouting his lips. Reid grinned, though it didn't last long.

"Well look who it is!"

Luke and Reid both looked up to see Ashton standing beside their table, a Cheshire grin painted on his face. Both men's expression did a complete 180. Reid's smile vanished in record time, his shoulders falling as he slouched in his chair again. Luke's frown rose instantly into a pleasant smile, sitting up and turning to his friend.

"Ashton! Hey, it's good to see you," Luke said brightly. He glanced at Reid, who was still scowling, before kicking him gently under the table.

"Ouch!" he yelled, glaring at Luke for a moment before taking the hint. "Hi."

Ashton laughed. "Hey, Cookies," he said with a wink. Reid rolled his eyes.

"And this is why I told you playing chess at Java was quite possibly your most ridiculous idea yet, and that's saying something," said Reid in a low voice. Luke just rolled his eyes at him before turning back to Ashton.

"Seeing you twice in one week? Wow, I'm amazed," teased Luke. Ashton nodded, laughing as well.

"Yeah, well, making up for lost time," he smiled. "Playing chess, huh?" he asked, nodding toward the board while gripping his messenger bag strap with both hands in front of his chest.

"Observant today, aren't we?" mocked Reid, sitting up again and examining the board with pseudo-interest. Ashton ignored him. He grabbed a chair from a nearby table and brought it up next to Luke, sitting on it backward with his legs around the back, his arms folded on the top of the wooden back and resting his forehead on his hands.

"Whose turn?"

"Mine," answered Luke with a sigh.

"Hmm," said Ashton thoughtfully, his eyes scanning the board. Reid watched him with mild interest, noting when his eyes would linger on a certain piece and examining said piece himself. "Open to suggestions?"

Luke blinked, turning to Ashton who was still focused on the board.

"Uh, sure," he answered. "Can't hurt."

With that, Ashton leaned over, his lips too close to Luke's ear for Reid's comfort, and began whispering. Luke's eyes followed the board, widening a bit as a smile crept onto his lips.

"Wow. Alright," he said with a shrug, reaching out and instantly making the move Ashton had suggested.

Reid blinked. He faltered only a moment, but that was still a moment more than any of his previous moves. Luke was grinning devilishly, far too amused by the turn of events. Reid finally did move, still managing to out maneuver Luke, but it didn't last long.

Ashton continued to whisper moves into Luke's ear, who followed them without hesitation. The game progressed, nearly twenty minutes passing by before Reid finally made the winning move. For once, though, he wasn't gloating. In fact, based on expressions alone, one would have sworn that Luke had won the game.

"Damn," Ashton cursed under his breath, causing Luke to laugh.

"What?"

"We lost."

"Yeah," agreed Luke. "But that's the longest game and the closest to winning against Reid I've ever played."

Ashton looked confused, eyes shifting from Reid to Luke and back to Reid.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Wow."

"Sentences are a wonderful thing."

Ashton and Luke looked up at Reid, who looked practically bored with it all. They all stared at each other for a moment before Reid sighed and stood up, groaning a bit as he stretched his legs.

"This has been fun," drawled Reid. "But I have to get to work. You got the board alright?" he asked Luke, who nodded. With that, Reid stepped around the other side of the table toward Luke, leaning in and kissing him chastely on the mouth before stepping back around, pushing in his chair. "Mr. Daniels," he added, nodding with a tight frown as he passed the other man, who saluted him with two fingers as he left.

"Bye, Cookies!" he called and Reid's shoulders visibly tensed as he walked out the door. Luke laughed, nudging Ashton with his elbow.

"You know, I can only protect you from him for song long," he said with an innocent smirk as he began to collect the chess pieces, putting them into the carrying case.

"Oh, he loves it," said Ashton with a cheeky grin. "So Reid's pretty good at chess. Who'd've thunk?"

"He's amazing at chess," Luke corrected. "He learned at Harvard Square as a kid, he use to do tournaments and everything."

"Wow," was Ashton's initial reply. "Actually, that makes sense. Meticulous, strategic, downright manipulative when necessary."

"Are you describing chess or Reid?" laughed Luke.

"Both."

* * *

Reid sighed as he dropped down on Lily's couch beside Luke, leaning back against his arm and resting his head against Luke's shoulder. His eyes fell shut and he let his body relax into the cushions.

"How was work?" asked Luke, grinning down at Reid and stroking his hair absently.

"Boring," groaned Reid. "Please tell me why I agreed to cover Doogie's rounds?"

"One word: Katie."

"Ah, yes. That one word seems to get me into a lot of trouble."

Luke simply laughed.

"How was your afternoon?" asked Reid, never moving from his rather comfortable position of using Luke as a pillow.

"It was good," Luke answered honestly. "I hung out with Ashton for a while longer after you left."

"Ah."

"He said he wants to play you at chess sometime."

Reid sat up, laughing.

"Me? Play him? And why would I do that?"

Luke smirked. "Because he's probably the only person in this city that could give you a run for your money," he responded, poking Luke hard in the chest. Reid blinked. "Oh, c'mon Reid, I saw your face after you won. You were surprised, maybe even impressed that someone almost beat you."

"Almost being the operative word," sighed Reid, standing up slowly and wandering toward the kitchen. Luke followed, catching up quickly and grabbing Reid's arm with both hands, hugging it tightly to his chest and hooking his chin on Reid's shoulder.

"Come on, you know you'd love it. It would be fun."

"Voluntarily spending even a minute of my time with Mr. Daniels is hardly something I'd call 'fun'."

"I get it, you're afraid he'll be you. It's understandable," sighed Luke into Reid's ear before letting him go, innocently wandering over to the fridge. Reid couldn't see it, but he knew Luke was smiling.

Just as Luke expected him to, and Reid knew he was expecting it, Reid came over and grabbed Luke from behind, pulling him hard against his chest and talking firmly in his ear.

"You know how to fight dirty, Mr. Snyder."


	18. Dear Journal, From Luke 1

**NOTE:** I am NOT the author of the Luke Journal entries. They were written by the writer who runs Luke, Henry and Katie's Facebook Pages. However, they are a part of this story and the author wishes to remain anonymous, so they have given me permission to include them here.

* * *

**September 3, 2010**

_2:10p_

Thought I'd jot a few things down while I wait for Reid to get here. Since he's got three whole days off, we decided to go to Chicago for the long weekend and spend some time together. Hopefully *fingers crossed* uninterrupted time.

Reid told me he loved me yesterday. Yes, I said it first, but it doesn't matter because he actually said it back! Can you believe it? This is so not like Noah and I. All the back and forth, and the dramatics, the push and pull. It's just so easy with Reid… like breathing, I don't have to think about it, it just IS.

So, I know I'm totally being weird about this, but I have decided this is THE weekend. You know THAT one. Reid doesn't know, hell he doesn't know I only have one room booked. I'm hoping we make good use of that room this weekend. Reid has got an AMAZING body, I've seen him a few times without his shirt, and if what he's got going on up top is any indication, the bottom is even better.

_6:30p_

Nearly to Chicago, and Reid has decided we must eat (so what else is new) so much for the fancy dinner plans I had at the hotel. Reid didn't seem overly impressed when I told him that it was the same hotel Madonna stayed in when she was in Chicago… there was a smartass comment made to the effect of "Well, if it's good enough for the material girl…" Starting to seriously reconsidering if this IS actually THE weekend!

_8:00p_

Stopped at a greasy diner just outside of Chicago and had the best time. Reid can be really funny when he stops trying to be a jackass. He held my hand while we ate, and kissed me while we waited in line to pay. It's definitely THE weekend. Should be at the hotel in 20 min. Wonder what he's going to say when he finds out we're in the same room and it's only got the one bed! I'm a little nervous though. I mean, I've never been with anyone but Noah. Reid's got so much more experience, what if he thinks I'm terrible at it?

**Saturday September 4, 2010**

_2:15a_

Reid is asleep, but I just COULD NOT SLEEP, I had to write this down, so much running through my head right now!

He is AMAZING! I had no idea it could be that way. Who knew sex could be about fun and laughter one minute and then turn into something so incredibly intense you can barely breathe or hold yourself together the next?

We got to the hotel about 8:30 tonight (last night?, anyway), and the look on his face when the desk clerk handed me one key and listed one room number was priceless. If only I'd had my phone prepared for a pic, it would have definitely been a keeper. Once he realized we were going to be in the room alone together (isn't that an oxymoron?) he couldn't get the bellhop to move fast enough with our luggage. I nearly choked when the poor guy set our bags down and Reid grabbed his arm and basically tossed him from the room as he told him to get the hell out. But it didn't matter, because as soon as the door closed and we were alone, we practically attacked each other. I mean, it was the hottest thing EVER. I've never been wanted that way, like he literally couldn't get enough of touching me. The feeling was definitely mutual BTW. I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that this gorgeous guy wants ME of all people. I like who I am with him, I can truly be me without apology.

In case you were wondering (even if you weren't)… 4, count them, 4 orgasms, just doing a happy dance, because I got laid, and it was SO good. I might be walking funny tomorrow, but tonight it's fucking fantastic.

I should probably get some sleep… or maybe I should just wake Reid up again? He just looks so fucking hot lying there on the bed, naked. I wish you could see this, the way the moonlight streaming through the windows comes in and touches him. It's almost like the light is caressing his beautiful body, like the moon can't wait to touch him either. Hmmm… yeah, I need some sleep, Reid's right, I'm a definite sap right now.

_12:15p_

Thank God for room service or we'd be starving to death. Reid's in the shower and he requested new linens so we can strip the bed and start all over :D I'm starting to wonder if we are going to get out of this room at any point this weekend. Reid seems perfectly content to stay in bed. Well, that not exactly true. We've basically had sex on nearly every solid surface in this room. He suggested the patio last night, but I'm not into public porn, though he assures me he'll get me past that little hurdle. I'm a little worried about how he plans to do that.

I debated waking him up earlier, but he looked so peaceful laying there that I just couldn't, but it was just as wonderful being able to lay next to him and wrap myself around him and just be. It didn't end up making a difference he woke up like 15 minutes later… that was fun :D My turn in the shower.

_9:40p_

Yeah, didn't make it out of the room at all today. Not that I'm complaining at all. Reid is completely amazing. I got the best massage earlier, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes and everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) in between. I'm definitely feeling the soreness now, muscles I forgot I had hurt. Sex with Reid is like running a marathon or something. Every part of your body is involved in some way. We only took breaks for food and hydration. I'm running on empty as far as sleep is concerned. Reid seems to be able to take power naps and can run for hours after. Must be the doctor thing... because I need some sleep. Actually, he's in the en suite living room and I'm supposed to be sleeping so I should probably try to do that. All I can think about is the fact that he's just on the other side of that door and I can touch him whenever and however I want now. Maybe sleep can wait…


	19. Dear Journal, From Luke 2

**NOTE:** I am NOT the author of the Luke Journal entries. They were written by the writer who runs Luke, Henry and Katie's Facebook Pages. However, they are a part of this story and the author wishes to remain anonymous, so they have given me permission to include them here.

* * *

**Sunday September 5, 2010**

_1:20p_

Have finally convinced Reid to exit the room for dinner. I made reservations at this place called the Kit Kat Lounge. Seems like a fun and interesting place at least according to their website. I decided not to tell Reid beforehand about the entertainment. It's a surprise, besides, he'd probably say no… what's that old saying? Better to ask forgiveness than permission?

Not sure how he did it, but Reid convinced me that sex in the lounge chair on the balcony would be a good idea. Actually we were lying on the lounge chair, enjoying the evening and next thing I know I'm naked in his lap. Somehow he makes my ability to make rational decisions disappear. Now I'm embarrassed to walk into the hallway because someone might have seen us. Reid said if they did then at least they got a good show… something about my mouth on his cock and my ass in the air, I quit listening when he started laughing at me. I tried to shut myself in the bathroom but he wouldn't let me… that led to shower sex. Pretty sure now, there is nowhere in this room that we haven't had some form of sex.

Need some sleep before tonight!

_6:45p_

Had a great nap, woke up with Reid curled up behind me with his arm around my waist and his face in the crook of my neck. I love waking up with him, not sure how it's going to change when we are back in Oakdale. I don't know if I want to try and sleep without him now. I'd miss that too much. Reid says he's not a cuddler, but yet every time I've woken up this weekend, he's been just as wrapped around me as I have been around him.

He's having a shower now and as tempted as I've been to join him, if I do we won't get out of this room ever! It's amazing how affectionate he really is. We were sitting on the couch earlier, or rather I was sitting there writing and he sat next to me, pulled my legs into his lap and turned on the television. Then he just seemed to be absent-mindedly rubbing my legs and feet, like he couldn't stop touching me. I knew when his attention came back to me though. While one hand had been running over my legs and feet with no particular intent one second, the next his other hand very purposefully wandered up the leg hole in my boxers. We are both going to be sore as hell this week. But SO SO worth it.

Time to get in the shower and get ready for dinner.

_11:10p_

LMAO… Reid is back in the shower, trying to 'feel clean again'. He was molested by drag queens at the show who kept referring to him as Dr. McHottie.

Must back up and write all this down because it was HILARIOUS. God, I hope Reid never sees this journal.

So, we left the hotel around 8p for 8:30 reservations. Everything was totally fine, until we got to the lounge. Actually, more like seated INSIDE the club. The waiter brought our menus, and when Reid looked at me over the menu with that 'Are you fucking kidding me look' I knew he'd figured it out. Entrees with names like Charro, Mae West, Bea Arthur, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Joan Crawford, etc. made it pretty easy. Well, and the stage was right there. After some intense begging on my part and promises of balcony sex at the hotel I convinced him to stay. We'd just gotten our orders before the music started and the DJ introduced the first act, a Ms. Anna Rexia. Who turned out to be a 6'2" man dressed as Peggy Lee with a blonde wig and huge boobs.

Reid rolled his eyes at me and picked up his glass to take a drink. It was too late though, Ms. Anna had all of her attention focused on Reid. Apparently, it was his unfortunate luck that our table was center stage.

She sang Hey Big Spender you know, the song that goes 'The minute you walked in the joint; I could see you were a man of distinction; A real big spender; Good looking, so refined…' and she proceeded to dance her way around AND on him. I *almost* felt sorry for him, but I was too busy trying not to fall out of my chair laughing at the expression on his face. Again, no pics damn it! Left my cell at the hotel. He seemed to be a cross between mortified and completely pissed off. I was wondering if we'd actually ever have sex again when he glared at me like it was MY fault that she was fondling him.

When the song was over, she leaned over and kissed Reid fully on the mouth… I thought he was going to punch poor Peggy, or me because at this point I was holding onto the table like my life depended on it trying to keep the laughing in check (didn't work so well, the dishes on the table were rattling with my laughter). With a final sashay Peggy turned and left our table. Reid snatched up the napkin and was practically scrubbing his mouth. He's kind of a germaphobe.

It took some convincing, but he hadn't eaten yet and necessity won out over anger I guess, and we stayed. But Peggy must have told all the other performers back there about Reid because every last one of them centered their performance around him. By the time we were out of the club, Reid was minus his jacket, tie and a couple of buttons. Cher removed the tie and used it as part of her act, when she put it over his eyes, I almost lost it. The buttons came off as Liza was trying to run her hands down his chest from the wrong side of the shirt. Reid freaked out and jerked back, hence the losing of buttons. My sides were hurting from laughter by the 4th act.

I finally took pity on him and told him we could leave. I know for sure he loves me now because, I'm not sure he'd have put up with that otherwise. So now here we are back at the hotel and Reid is STILL in the shower, I can hear him alternately cursing out Liza for ruining his favorite shirt (my favorite shirt, he looks so hot in it) and Peggy for starting the whole thing.

Think I'm going to head into the shower to see if I can soothe the savage beast… if he lets me.

* * *

**Monday September 6, 2010**

_10:15a_

Well, he did let me make him feel better in the shower… then he made me follow through with the balcony promise. He didn't even try to hide us though. We stood at the railing with me holding on for dear life because if I let go, I might have fallen over the side. As strange as it was for me, it was kinda kinky and totally hot. ANYONE could have seen us, but last night, I didn't care. And I promised him no more drag clubs… its ok, I have other ideas anyway next time we're in Chicago.

All packed to check out, just waiting on the bellhop to come get the bags… yes, I'm just that lazy that I don't want to take 2 weekend bags down. Too tired, too sore, too happy. Wish we could stay in this bubble forever, but alas, real life awaits.

_1:45p_

Reid has mostly forgiven me for last night… he'd probably completely forgive me if I'd quit laughing at him. We stopped for food again, and I loved that Reid sat right next to me and he took every opportunity to touch me. I love this feeling with him, it's indescribable and at times overwhelming and scary.

Reid likes to sing along with the radio… loudly, should have noted on Friday, but eh, you know. Who knew he was a closet Eminem fan, Reid rapping is not something I'd have ever thought of. Just one of those quirks that make me love him so much. He's never what I expect. He doesn't seem to be in any more of a hurry to get back to reality than I am.

_6:25p_

I HATED dropping Reid off at Katie's. Chris and Jacob were there and it's not like we'd get any privacy in the animal house otherwise known as my mother's place. I've decided to get a place of my own, so we have somewhere to be together, and if we can throw the pager in the pond, that would be bliss.

It was definitely weird having so much of Reid's time. I think I'm spoiled a little now. Real life sucks! Mostly, ok, yeah, not really as long as Reid is here.

Awww, just got the sweetest text from Reid that said, 'Miss you already' he's such a sap, but I love it.


	20. More Than That

"Wait, what?"

Ashton grinned, stepping around Noah and continuing from the kitchen into the living room, naturally stepping over Toby who was chewing on a toy in the doorway. Noah turned and followed, grinning with confusion.

"I said, I'm playing Reid in chess tomorrow."

"Wow," sighed Noah, rubbing the back of his head. They both moved to the couch, falling closely into the cushions. "How did this happen?"

Ashton laughed. "It's just chess, Noah. And I saw them playing at Java, Luke's no good so I gave him some pointers, and he almost won. I told him to tell Reid I demanded a real match."

"I think I'm going to have to make sure I'm on break when this happens. Please say it's happening at Java," smiled Noah, who was now leaning into his hand, arm propped up on the back of the couch and leaning toward Ashton.

"Yeah, it's at Java, and alright, I'll make sure it's when you're on break," he added with a soft laugh, leaning in to gently press his lips to Noah's.

"Mm," Noah hummed, reaching out to tangle his hands in Ashton's long hair. "As much as I am looking forward to you kicking Reid Oliver's ass at chess tomorrow," he laughed softly, "How about we don't mention that name for the rest of the night?"

"Sounds good to me," Ashton smiled back, eyes dark as they moved from Noah's eyes to his mouth, licking his lips. "Did you have something else in mind?"

Noah's grin grew, making Ashton's heart skip two beats. "Well," he started, moving even closer still and practically pulling Ashton into his lap. "I kind of like what we were just doing."

"Oh?" smirked Ashton. "What, this?" Ashton leaned in, cupping Noah's face in both hands and kissing him hard on the mouth. It only lasted a second though before he pulled back, grinning ear to ear.

"Yeah, that."

Noah was quick to guide Ashton's face back to his own, one hand lost in his hair, the other abandoning the back of the couch for Ashton's back instead, wrapping firmly around the other man's waist and pulling him in, their chests flush against each other. The kiss started chaste, hard and eager, but chaste none the less, until Noah felt Ashton's tongue tease his lips, and then it was all over with.

It was only a matter of minutes, maybe seconds, before Ashton was pulling himself up, hands firmly on Noah's shoulders for support as he lifted his legs and wrapped them around Noah's waist, settling into his lap with ease, smiling into the unbroken kiss as he arms fell around Noah's neck.

Noah's hands fell to Ashton's thighs, running his fingers over them before gripping one thigh, his other hand moving back up to Ashton's back as he lowered him onto the pillows and cushions of the couch, hovering over him, pressing into him. His hands continued to wander, more than they ever had, over Ashton's thighs, his chest, his stomach, his chest, his arms, then slowly down his sides, fingers burning through the fabric. Oh, that fabric. Without thinking he let his fingers wander lower and lower, to the waistband of Ashton's jeans, before moving up again, this time sneaking beneath the hem of Ashton's shirt.

Ashton moaned gently into the kiss, breaking it for only a moment but that was enough to make Noah change direction. His mouth moved hot and wet over Ashton's face, down his jaw, biting gently as he continued to his neck, wanting to leave a mark but having just enough control to know better. He continued further, pressing his lips hot into Ashton's shoulder, a hand coming up to ease the collar of Ashton's shirt to the side so he could get to his collar bone. His other hand continued to work over Ashton's bare skin, nails raking gently over his stomach. It made Ashton squirm beneath him, and he loved it. He could feel Ashton's nails digging into his back.

As wonderful as Ashton's skin tasted beneath his lips, Noah couldn't help but bring his face back to Ashton's, capturing his lips again, a gesture Ashton happily returned. When Noah's hand beneath his shirt continued to travel south, however, eventually coming to hover over the button of Ashton's jeans, he suddenly stopped, tensing under Noah's touch and hastily leaning away.

"Noah," he said breathlessly, reaching down to stop Noah's hand.

Noah stared at him, not necessarily in confusion but there was a pain there. Moving carefully they both sat up, still clinging to each other.

"What?" Noah asked, so innocently that Ashton had to laugh.

"Just… I don't want us to get carried away. There's a fine line that once we cross it, I'm not going to be able to turn back."

Noah nodding, turning red in the face, eyes unable to find Ashton's. With a comforting smile Ashton reached for Noah, cupping his face tenderly between his fingers.

"Hey, look at me," he insisted. Noah obliged. "I just want you to be ready. I know this is… well, a big step for you, for us."

Eyes now locked together, Ashton watched as a confidence rose up in Noah, his eyes dark and never wavering. Slowly, Noah nodded.

"I know," he whispered, a hand locked behind Ashton's head and guiding them closer so their foreheads rested together. "Thank you, for caring enough to… but I don't want to wait anymore."

Ashton, startled again, leaned back, watching Noah with wide eyes. "Noah…"

"Shh, please," said Noah, shaking his head. "I'm sure, Ashton. We've been sharing the same bed most nights for almost three weeks. God, I don't know how I managed to keep my hands off you," he said with a gentle laugh, fingers tenderly tracing Ashton's jaw. "But I don't want to keep them off you anymore. I don't want to just spend the night sleeping in your bed this time. I want to fall asleep with you and wake up beside you, just like before, but…"

"But what?" Ashton dared.

"But I want more than that," Noah continued, his grip around Ashton tightening slightly. "I want to make love to you, and hold you, and when I wake up, I want to do it all again."

Noah was smiling now, sincere and confident and without apologies. They'd made out on the couch, even in the bed, countless times, but there had always been an uncertainty as things progressed, a question in Noah's eyes, his voice, that Ashton could sense immediately and knew was a sign to slow down. Tonight, though, he didn't see or hear any of that. All he saw was Noah, and all he heard was Noah's breath against his face, telling him he wanted to make love to him.

And hell if that wasn't enough.

Ashton said nothing, just nodding as he carefully stood up from Noah, pulling him with him as they stood beside the couch, eyes never breaking contact. A small smile crept onto his face as he took Noah's hands, kissing him passionately but briefly before silently leading him to the bedroom.


	21. Another Morning After

Noah woke to the sound of a faint beeping nearby, groaning a little at the familiar but annoying sound as he reached over Ashton to hit the snooze button. Again. Ashton stirred a bit beneath him but remained asleep, curled close to Noah's bare chest with an arm draped over Noah's waist. Noah smiled, reaching down to brush away some of Ashton's hair as he let his head fall back onto the pillow. He kept this up for a few minutes, just watching Ashton as he slept, until Ashton's breathing changed and his eyes began to flutter.

"Mm?" mumbled Ashton sleepily. Noah let out an airy laugh, still running his fingers through Ashton's hair and tucking it behind his ear. Ashton's lips pulled into a smile.

"Good morning," Noah whispered.

"Mm, morning," Ashton said, followed by a large yawn. "Time is it?"

"Almost ten."

"Mm. Sleep."

Noah laughed, moving closer.

"No sleeping. I've already hit your snooze button three times," he smiled, kissing Ashton on the nose before resting their foreheads together.

"So?" Ashton yawned again.

"We have class at 11," he laughed. "And then I have to work at two and you are coming with me because you have that chess game."

"Oh yeah," said Ashton with a smile. His eyes were still closed.

Noah leaned forward, kissing each of his eyelids gently. Ashton sighed contently beneath the show of affection. Lips then traveled lower to Ashton's cheek, then along his jaw line, finally coming to place feather soft kisses along his bare shoulder and collar bone.

"Keep that up and we're never going to make it to class on time," said Ashton, voice still heavy with sleep but lustful as well. He rolled onto his back, giving Noah more room and finally opening his eyes with a smile as Noah rolled with him, now leaning over him with a similar grin on his lips.

"Sounds alright to me," said Noah with that wide smile that made Ashton completely swoon. Both men were grinning like fools at each other, though it only lasted a moment or two before Ashton was leaning up and Noah was lowering himself down, lips finally capturing lips, bodies becoming tangled in the streams of morning sunlight.

**...**

"My class usually gets out before yours anyway, I don't mind walking over," insisted Noah. He and Ashton were walking hand in hand, fingers almost lazily tangled together, each with a bag over their shoulder as they crossed campus. They'd just gotten out of their lecture and had a few minutes to kill before their next, separate classes started.

"Yeah, that's fine," shrugged Ashton. "I have to chat with Professor Dryden about studio schedules anyway, so don't rush or anything."

Noah smiled. "Alright."

"And you work at two, right?" Ashton asked as they approached their building, steering them to an outside wall and leaning against the brick, the gentle sun warming their faces. This was the time of year Ashton loved, especially in the Midwest. The leaves were just beginning to change and the sun was always warm. If only it could stay like this, he thought.

"Yep. That's when you're meeting Luke and Reid, right?" he asked.

Ashton nodded. "You don't have to come over, by the way. I mean, I know you and Luke haven't really talked yet, and I'm sure that when your boyfriends are duking it out over chess is going to be the best time to try and reconcile," he laughed gently. Noah joined him.

"You're probably right," he agreed. "Though I don't plan to avoid them or anything, either."

Again Ashton nodded. "Alright. Sounds good," he said with a slightly nervous laugh. Noah leaned into Ashton a bit, bumping their shoulders playfully.

"You know, you better kick Reid Oliver's ass today," he whispered with a grin. Ashton immediately began laughing.

"Oh, you know I will," he smiled, leaning over to kiss Noah sweetly on the mouth, a kiss broken by laughter from both men. "Alright, we better go or we'll both be late. Again," he added with a knowing smile that made Noah blush a bit.

"Alright. I'll see you later," said Noah, still smiling ear to ear. He kissed Ashton again before begrudgingly releasing his hand, giving him one last lingering smile before they turned and walk in opposite directions.


	22. Dear Journal, From Luke 3

**September 10, 2010 **

**1:15p**

Really looking forward to spending the weekend with Reid. I have decided to get a place of my own, it's time to grow up. My family can get along without me (I think…)

**9:45p**

Contacted Katie's realtor… ummm, I'm wondering how worried I should really be? But she found Katie's current place so she can't be that bad.

Reid said he wants to go with me as I 'can't be trusted to find a place suitable enough' . What he means is he doesn't think I can find a place he'd actually want to spend time in. I should be offended… but I'm not. He made it up to me in SOOO many pleasant ways. SOOOOO SO SO many! And ugh, it was amazing. I don't think I'll ever get enough of Reid.

* * *

**September 12, 2010**

**10:20pm**

OMG… where do I start! First of all, Katie's realtor is STRANGE, even I couldn't find anything positive out of her quirkiness. Between the hippie dress (which I can totally roll with) and the 'essence' of the place, the burning of sage 'to clear evil spirits' it took far longer to view houses than was strictly necessary. And I don't think she listened to my pre-requisites at all. She 'got a feeling' about me and only wanted to show me what she thought would fit my aura…

I so totally owe Katie for this one! She will pay, in spades…

Second, Reid… I love Reid, but damn, he is SO totally picky. Granted, I didn't like any of the places either, but you would think that it was Reid's place and not mine. If it wasn't that the building was atrocious it was that the layout was wrong, the kitchen was weird, the fridge was too small, etc… the list goes ON and ON

Third… the _neighbors_, who knew there were so many scary whacked out people in Oakdale… I'm beginning to see why Reid calls it Oakhell (but don't tell him I said that)

The realtor showed me a house nearly an hour outside of town, well, she tried after 20 min of driving Reid made her turn around clearly that's his visitation limit… 20 min (must keep that in mind, I don't rate more than a 20 min drive, not sure I feel about that L)

Then there was the crack house, I swear it was a crack house…

The congo drum beating neighbors

The overly athletic (i.e. SMELLY) neighbors with the bikes in the hall

The psychic who tried to read Reid's palm… I think he was about 10 seconds from actually hitting her.

I'm not sure I can go through this again tomorrow….. WHY DID I WANT MY OWN PLACE AGAIN?

* * *

**September 13, 2010**

**4:50pm**

House hunting SUCKS… Seriously! It's one of the 7 circles of hell. On the plus side, I found a place and submitted an offer. Since Reid is clearly uncomfortable with change the only place that got his stamp of approval (why did I need that?) was a condo in Katies building with the SAME layout as hers. Except this one has a larger fridge and more pantry space, and a massive master bath with one of those steam showers with a dual shower head, and aroma therapy and mood lighting. It took 20 min to get Reid out of the bathroom. His and Hers closets (his and his closets?) And it's on the top floor with an amazing balcony that overlooks the whole city WITH a hottub.

Anyway, seriously hoping to hear from the realtor soon because I can NOT do this house thing anymore.

* * *

**September 15, 2010**

**2:20pm**

Finally heard from the batty ass realtor… after nearly an hour of her trying to convince me this place had the wrong 'vibe' for me, she finally tells me they have accepted my offer… I really don't like Katie right now!

Called Reid… he's just glad he can visit me without too much effort and if we break up we can still avoid each other in the building …pragmatic my ass!

He's promised to make that up to me later as well… something tells me that he's constantly going to be making shit up to me

Casey and Ashton have volunteered to help me move. Reid said his hands must be saved for more important tasks, fortunately for me, one of those more important tasks involve pleasing me… so I'll let it slide.

Reid and Ashton are playing chess tomorrow, this should be fun...

* * *

**September 18, 2010**

Not complaining but Casey's right, I never see anyone anymore. Except a couple of days ago when Reid and Ashton were playing chess. Not that they paid any attention to Noah or I. Then I came home and Reid was actually on the phone with Ashton arguing over chess strategy. He really is a nerd. Thank God he's hot.

* * *

**September 24, 2010**

**5:40pm**

Picked up the keys to the new place today after a freaking mountain of paperwork. I swear the stack was like 2"thick. I may have developed carpal tunnel.

Casey and Ashton will be showing up pretty early in the morning to get everything moved. Thankfully, it's not a lot and all the furniture is already in the apartment.

Waiting on Reid to get here. We are picking up dinner and a couple of movies and planning to enjoy the solitude of my condo. Plan to enjoy the hot tub :D that may be my favorite part of the new place. Best part of being on the top floor... no one can see what's happening, Reid has a penchant for semi public sex, I'm learning to be ok with that.


	23. The After Party

The last few chapters are a little out of order. This would fit in between chapters 19 [Dear Journal, From Luke #2] and 20 [More Than That]. This is right after Casey's birthday, a few days before Noah and Ashton sleep together and the chess game. Enjoy! &heart

* * *

With an unnecessarily loud and dramatic sigh, Ashton Daniels fell into the cushions of his couch.

"I've gotta hand it to those girls, Alison and Maddie sure know how to throw a last-minute party."

Noah, handing Ashton a glass of water, joined him with a laugh.

"Can't argue with you there," he smiled.

"Casey seemed to have enjoyed himself," said Ashton with a genuine smile, leaning into Noah's shoulder a bit. He popped two aspirin into his mouth ("The music must have gotten to me") and swallowed it down with the water.

"I think so," agreed Noah. "I mean, I think everyone he knows was there. And the food was great, leave it to Henry to go all out with the catering for his sister's ex-boyfriend's birthday party."

Ashton laughed along, setting his glass on the table before falling comfortably into the couch again. "It was pretty great," he mused with a grin. "Awkward," he added with a laugh. "But fun."

"Well, luckily it wasn't _all _awkward," smiled Noah. "And hey, we all behaved ourselves. I think that's a pretty big accomplishment in and of itself," he laughed.

"Very true," shrugged Ashton. "Seriously, though, I felt like we were in a movie. Here's the scene," he began, gesturing with his hands and lowering her voice dramatically. "Luke and Reid, hand in hand as they cross the room. Opposite them, the obviously better looking Ashton and Noah, also hand in hand, slowly approach."

Just then Noah laughed and nudged him in the arm. Ashton's face broke into a wide grin.

"Hey!" he laughed, shoving Noah back. "It's true, though, and you know it. I felt like I was in Shrek Two or something. You know, when Fiona and Shrek first meet her parents? Except I couldn't quite figure out which of us was supposed to be the ogres…"

Noah erupted into laughter, practically falling onto Ashton before leaning the other way and letting himself fall back along the couch. Ashton followed with a grin, laying on top of him and smiling.

"You would compare us to 'Shrek'," noted Noah, shaking his head as much as he could manage while it was laying against the couch.

"What? It's a classic in computer animation," he shrugged, still grinning down at Noah, who laughed before leaning up to meet Ashton in a kiss.

It was lazy and sweet and they both tasted like salt from the pretzels and other various snacks they'd been nibbling on all night.

"So which ones are we?" Noah asked suddenly as he broke the kiss, earning a confused smile from Ashton.

"Which what?"

"Are we the ogres or the parents?"

"Ah, not that is a trick question," responded Ashton seriously, poking Noah gently in the chest and crawling further up him so he was now straddling his hips, leaning up on his arms. "Because while the ogres may not be great to look at, the parents are assholes. Well, the dad is," he shrugged. Noah shook his head with laughter again.

"So we're either nice but ugly, or good looking assholes?"

"Pretty much," chuckled Ashton.

"Or, we could always be Shrek and Fiona later on in the movie when they're both good looking humans," suggested Noah. Ashton's eyes widened and his smile grew.

"Mr. Mayer, you actually paid attention to that movie?"

"Hey, it happens," Noah laughed. "And I call dibs on being Shrek," he added quickly. Ashton rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Fiona's more kick-ass anyway," he grinned wickedly before falling into Noah and capturing his lips again.


	24. Worthy Opponent

"I can't believe you're actually doing this," laughed Luke as they walked through Old Town.

"You're the one who insisted I play with your obnoxious friend," Reid reminded him. He still had no idea how he'd allowed himself to be roped into this game in the first place and he was more than happy to complain. "I said it was a bad idea, that I'd just embarrass him, but _you_ said…"

"I know, I know!" said Luke. "You whine more than Ethan, I swear."

"That's still not more than you, so I'm not concerned," shrugged Reid. "Ouch!" he then proceeded to yell when the back of Luke's hand struck him in the arm. "Was that necessary?"

"Very," smiled Luke. Reid rolled his eyes, drifting closer as they continued to walk. When Luke linked his arm through Reid's, connected at the elbows, he didn't even flinch.

They continued through Old Town, taking their time and doing a bit of window shopping. Reid tried to convince Luke to stop at Al's, but Luke reminded him that they had just ate back at Katie's, to which Reid immediately replied, "So?"

It was nearing two o'clock when Luke suggested they finally wander over to Java. Reid groaned again, more dramatically than the last dozen or so times, but didn't fight as Luke continued to steer him toward the small coffee shop. It was getting later into the month and the air was getting cooler. The trees were starting to turn multi-colored and the wind was sharper than usual. It felt nice to walk into Java, greeted by the warm air and the smell of coffee beans.

"I think we're the first ones here," observed Luke. "How about… over here." Luke led Reid over to a small table against the far wall and pulled up an extra chair, taking a seat and watching with excitement as Reid removed the bag he'd been carrying and set it on the table. He began pulling out the fine chess set, putting the pieces in their respective places with such focus and determination that Luke swore it was like Reid was in surgery. He just smiled, adoring the concentration on his boyfriend's face.

"I'll get us some drinks," he announced. Reid barely nodded to indicate he had heard Luke before the blond was on his feet and digging through his pockets. When he approached the counter he looked up, and instantly tensed, an awkward smile floating on his lips.

"Hey Luke," said the barista, the same awkward smile on his lips as well.

"Hi, Noah."

The two men stood in silence for a moment, just staring and trying to figure out what to say. They hadn't seen much of each other in the past two months, even though there were plenty of things connecting their lives.

"Um, you're usuals?" asked Noah. Luke blinked, startled by the break in the silence.

"Oh, yeah, our usuals," nodded Luke, laughing nervously. "So," started Luke. "Are you going to watch the match?" He was pleased to see that Noah was suddenly smirking.

"Yeah. Promised Ashton I'd take my break at the beginning. He should be here any minute now actually," he added as he glanced down at his watch.

"Should be interesting," grinned Luke. Noah looked up at him, smiling brightly as he handed Luke his drinks.

"I think that's putting it lightly."

Both of them laughed, caught in an easiness they hadn't shared in many, many months.

Just then the bells on the front door to Java began to sing. Luke and Noah both looked up.

"Hey," called Noah instantly, his smile, if possibly, growing. "Just a sec." He turned back to Luke and quickly processed his transaction. Luke looked up and smiled at the young man who had just entered and was now leaning on the counter with a Cheshire grin on his face

"Hey, Ashton," said Luke.

"Hey," laughed Ashton. "So. Is your boyfriend ready to lose?" he winked.

"I'm not even going to answer that one," Luke laughed.

Noah handed Luke his change and his receipt, pushing his drinks forward for him to take.

"Good luck," said Luke with an empathetic laugh to Noah.

"Yeah, you, too," he chuckled. Luke nodded to Ashton before disappearing back to the table with Reid, leaving Ashton and Noah alone at the front.

"Hey, you," smiled Noah, coming over and mirroring Ashton by leaning on his arms on the opposite side of the counter.

"Hey," grinned Ashton, already looking excited. Noah laughed.

"Why do I have a feeling that this is going to be absolutely chaotic?"

"Why ever would you think that?" Ashton asked innocently, tilting his head to the side in mock confusion. Noah narrowed his eyes playfully and shook his head. "So are you going to watch?"

"Of course," said Noah proudly. "I'm just waiting for Jim to get back from his break, and I'll try to come over for a few minutes now and then once I'm back on the clock," he explained.

"Good," smiled Ashton. "Is it sad that I'm so excited for this?" he laughed.

"Of course not!" said Noah. "Hell, even I'm excited."

Ashton beamed. "Well I should probably get over there."

"Okay. Just don't kill each other, alright?" Noah smiled.

"Deal," said Ashton, leaning closer on the counter. Noah leaned in, too, at about the same time, instinct pulling them in for a brief kiss.

"Good luck."

…

"You're sure this isn't weird for you?" asked Luke, his eyes returning to Reid.

"I think I should be asking you that," said Reid. Luke looked at him curiously. "I get it, Luke; it's weird for you seeing Noah and Ashton together. Hell, it's weird for _me_."

Luke shook his head. "No, well, okay, yes, it's weird. But I've said that before. I just… I just need to get use to it. It's one thing to hear about them," he sighed.

"It's another to see them making out at the counter?"

"They weren't making out," replied Luke quickly. "But yes, it's something else to actually _see_ them together."

The conversation ended there and the mood instantly changed as Ashton made his way over. Luke's perception faded from seeing him as his ex-boyfriend's new boyfriend, to simply being Ashton Daniels, Luke's long-time friend. He shifted excitedly in his seat as Ashton sat down beside him, across the table from Reid.

"Hey there, Cookies," Ashton winked. Reid rolled his eyes and suppressed a groan.

…

"Check mate."

A modest crowd had gathered around the table, people pulling up chairs, other standing and nearly everyone who went in or out of the shop at least stopped long enough to see what was going on. At these two words the audience burst into a small applause.

Reid was sitting back in his chair, smiling. Ashton was staring back, shaking his head and laughing easily.

"That was impressive," said Ashton, his eyes falling to the board again as he recounted the last few moves. He sighed dramatically before reaching out his hand to Reid. "Good match, Reid."

Reid smiled brightly and sat up, shaking Ashton's hand. "You're _almost_ a worthy opponent," he grinned, and both men erupted in laughter.

"Congratulations!" Luke was shouting as soon as the two separated, leaning forward and kissing Reid quick but hard on the mouth and hanging on him in the way only Luke Snyder could get away with. A low laugh rumbled through Reid's chest.

"Thanks," he replied simply, an arm looping around Luke's waist and practically pulling him into his lap.

Across the table, Noah sat beside Ashton, his hand resting on Ashton's leg casually. "Sorry you didn't win," he said with an apologetic smile. "That was a pretty great match, though. Two and a half hours? He may have beat you but not by much."

"Thanks, Noah," said Ashton. They smiled at each other before sharing a chaste kiss. "And hey," Ashton began again, leaning close and talking so that only Noah could hear. "After last night, not even losing to Cookies over there is enough to bring me down." He had a cheesy grin on his face, knowing how corny his words were but really not caring. Noah blushed a little and laughed along, pressing their foreheads together.


End file.
